Granger and Malfoy- An Unlikely Ultimatum
by hotpinkhalloween
Summary: Nothing was better than getting selected to fill the Transfiguration Teacher post at Hogwarts. Hermione had worked hard for this for years, only to find that Draco had been teaching one year before her. They got along like oil and water, and everyone noticed. Headmistress McGonigal gave them an ultimatum, learn to work together or your posts will not be renewed next year.
1. Chapter 1

Ch. 1

This was almost better than getting her Hogwarts letter! After several exams and tedious tests, Hermione was going to teach at Hogwarts.

After the last wizarding war her friends had worked to set themselves up as aurors and were still undergoing training of their own. They were disappointed but understood when she decided to follow a different path than them. Both Harry and Ron couldn't have been happier for her.

Things were awkward with Ron in the beginning, but they realized early on that a relationship just wasn't going to work out long term. She drove him crazy over the littlest things, and he didn't seem to take anything serious enough for her. After several 'breaks,' they resolved to continue to be great friends and kept in touch from time to time.

"Mom, Dad," she called out, wanting to show them her letter.

Hermione's dad walked into the room "Yeah honey…what do you have there?" He asked, seeing her clutch a piece of paper in her hand.

"I did it dad, I'm a Hogwarts teacher!" she put the letter in his hands while she hugged him.

"I heard from the other room. I'm so proud of you!" Her mom reached out and joined in on the hug.

"I have to get ready to leave tomorrow, there are a lot of preparations that teachers have to make to the castle before students arrive." She released her dad and mom. "I've got to start packing!" she said as she briskly walked out of the room.

The next day, her parents took her to platform 9 ¾ to board the train, except this time the station wasn't very packed and it was only adult teachers who were boarding. She saw Neville with his trunk and went over to say hi.

"Neville! It's good to see you. We should be seeing more of each other now that I'll be teaching at Hogwarts too."

"I've heard that you got McGonagal's old position, transfiguration teacher. That's great Hermione, I knew you'd be a great fit." He beamed at her, happy to have a class mate as a fellow teacher.

Then she saw Draco Malfoy boarding the train.

"Why is he here?" She didn't hold back the disgust in her voice as she asked Neville the question.

"Didn't I mention it in any of my letters?" He made a skeptical look at Hermione.

"Mention what exactly?"

"Draco teaches at Hogwarts also, he's the potion's master and head of Slytherin house."

"They made him a head of house?" she was incredulous as she followed Neville onto the train and took a seat.

"It wasn't like they had much of a choice, he's the only Slytherin teacher," he said as they found a seat. "Well, what did you do this summer?" He tried to change the subject.

She took the bait. "Mostly just testing and training to get approved to teach. Did you know our credentials will allow us to teach in muggle schools as well? It's really quite fascinating."

"Fascinating? I didn't know you were coming to Hogwarts Granger. Are you doing outreach to the house elves?" A cold drawling voice called from the door of the compartment.

She didn't need to look over to know who that voice belonged to, but she did anyways. "Malfoy, kindly shut the door," she said in a mock polite voice and a glare that matched his sneer.

"Don't speak to me like I'm a servant," he said as he edged his way inside and sat down.

"Do you mind, we're having a private conversation here!" His rudeness had grown to a new level.

"So, this is your first year teaching Granger? It's not all they teach you in the training. McGonigal isn't exactly an easy headmistress to work for, she expects a lot out of a Hogwarts teacher. Are you sure you're really up to snuff?" He asked coldly.

"Why? Worried I'll raise the standard and you'll have to work harder?" She retorted.

He didn't say anything but acted like her voice was nothing more than the wind as he opened up a news paper and appeared to start reading it.

She looked back and forth between Neville and Malfoy, stunned he was still riding with them.

"Do you mind?" She repeated again, wanting him to leave the compartment.

"No, not at all, carry on," he replied as he continued to pretend to read the paper. He was enjoying getting on her nerves.

"Unbelievable" she uttered as she looked back at Neville, clearly disgusted.

Neville spoke up, "You two are going to have to learn to get along. If McGonigal knows you have trouble getting along, she might make you work together..."

Both Hermione and Malfoy scoffed at Neville's suggestion. "Get along" just wasn't in the cards.

"Nice one Longbottom," Malfoy replied, not realizing this wasn't a joke.

Even Hermione smiled.

The rest of the ride was pretty quiet and when they arrived at the castle Hagrid greeted them with the threstrals. To Hermione, if felt just like being back at school again.

"Hagrid!" Hermione half shouted as she ran up to give him a hug.

"Professor Granger?" Hagrid had been keen to pronounce the "professor" part very slowly for emphasis. "How 'ave you been Hermione?" he asked as she beamed. They used the rest of their walk to chat as they made their way to the castle.

"I've been training all summer so I could pass the teaching exams, how was your summer?"

"Me and Gwapy worked part 'o the summer to build him a house just inside the forest. He likes it in the forest, recon he enjoys the quiet." He said as he pointed over to the forbidden forest.

When they arrived at the castle the headmistress greeted them and told them a small feast would be awaiting all the teachers inside and that their belongings were being stored in their quarters. Hermione realized that she didn't know where her quarters were.

There were about 20 teachers that filtered into the great hall for dinner. Professor Hagrid still taught the care of magical creatures class, while Neville taught Herbology. Pumona Sprout, who used to teach herbology was now the assistant to the headmistress. Professor Flitwick still taught charms class, professor Bins, although long since passed away, continued in his post as the history of magic teacher. Malfoy was in his second year of teaching potions, and Hermione had just signed on to teach transfiguration.

A table was set up in the middle of the hall for the whole group. The headmistress got up to make a toast to the group teaching this year and then the food appeared on the table. One thing she missed very much was the food from Hogwarts; it was the best.

Hermione got lost in conversation with many people at the table and when the feast ended at midnight she almost left the great hall without asking the headmistress where her quarters were.

"I will have Professor Malfoy show you to your quarters," she said as she motioned to Malfoy who had a sour look on his face. "I also need to see you first thing in the morning to settle some business Professor Granger."

"Of course, thank you headmistress." Hermione uttered as she looked at Malfoy. She was sure McGonigal knew how she felt about Malfoy. She didn't know who was being punished more, her, or Malfoy.

"This way," he called out as he briskly walked past her. It was easier to limit conversation when you didn't have to walk side by side. Hermione didn't mind. Most of the other teachers had hung around the great hall and it was just the two of them in the hallway, he seemed to be leading her to the center of the castle. On the second floor Malfoy stopped in front of a painting of a Hogwarts crest that was down a small hallway. There was nothing interesting about this area and Hermione had passed it many times while attending the school without giving it a second look. "Chocolate Cauldrons" he said to the picture and it swung open to let them in.

Inside was beautiful and there was a mix of every house color from the walls down to the furniture. The crests of all the houses decorated different areas of the room, and there was a fire going in the fire place. There was a big open area and what looked like small spiral staircases that had doors atop each one, as if there was a room on each level. It reminded her of the staircases from Gryffindor tower, except that it was an inside out version.

It was clear to her that these were the quarters that the staff shared and they had their individual rooms within this part of the castle.

"Yours is over there," he pointed to her and then slammed the door to his unit shut and disappeared inside before she could ask him any questions.

She felt relieved that he was gone.

After she opened the door and closed it, she took a quick chance to look around. The room was bigger than she expected from the outside. When she entered it was into a large living room with its own small fireplace. Off to the side she found a small kitchenette, she couldn't imagine what she would use it for since she had always eaten meals in the great hall when she attended as a student. Past the living room was a bedroom with an attached bathroom. The whole apartment was simply furnished with a four poster bed and dresser made of oak in the bedroom, and a fluffy couch in the front room. After checking that her trunk was in her room, she crashed on the bed and fell asleep.

She woke up early to prepare herself to see the headmistress, wanting to look her best on her first day on duty. She pulled her hair back into a thick pony tail, wanting to try a different look as a teacher from when she was a student.

School didn't officially start for another couple weeks, but there were several preparations that needed to be completed before students arrived. She walked up the hallway to where the stone gargoyle was and realized she didn't have the password. "The headmistress is expecting me," she tried to reason with the statue, but it remained unmovable. She remembered that Dumbledore had always used names of candy as his passwords and began to try a few herself. "Fizzing Wizzbee," "Cockroach cluster," when the gargoyle sprang aside. "Seriously?" she asked when she realized she hadn't guessed right at all. The headmistress was winding her way down the stairs and just happened to run into Hermione.

"I'm glad you're here, you didn't get the password?" She asked.

"No, had you sent it?"

"I passed Professor Malfoy in the hall this morning and asked him to relay it to you. Never mind now, please follow me."


	2. Chapter 2

Ch. 2

Hermione believed as much from Malfoy, of course he would try to sabotage her. She followed the headmistress up the stairs and into the office. It looked nearly the same as when Dumbledore had been headmaster, except that there were two extra portraits on the wall that she hadn't seen before. The portraits of Albus Dumbledore and Severus Snape looked upon her as she entered the study.

"Please take a seat," she motioned to the chair in front of her desk as she herself took the seat behind it. "I've asked you here so we can talk about your duties as a new teacher of this school." She began.

"Congratulations are in order Professor Granger," Dumbledore said from his portrait.

"Thank you sir," Hermione replied and focused back on the headmistress who was smiling. It was no secret that Hermione had been her favorite student and she was delighted when she applied for her old post of Transfiguration teacher.

"Your duties will include getting the school ready for incoming students who will be arriving in about two weeks. In addition to teaching I have an extra duty to ask you to take on…how would you feel about being the head of Gryffindor house?"

"Professor, I mean, headmistress, I would love to! It's always been a dream," she began when she was cut off.

"Unfathomable! When Professor Malfoy asked he was told he had to wait until his second year to be head of house, but Granger gets it the first moment she stepped into the school." Severus Snape sneered at the new headmistress.

"Yes yes Severus, thank you for your assessment," she began. "But Professor Granger has experience leading big groups, such as Dumbledore's army, that Professor Malfoy didn't have when he began teaching last year."

"I suppose being a Gryffindor doesn't hurt either." He replied as he turned in his frame so as not to look at the both of them.

Hermione didn't respond even though she wanted to. She continued to focus on the headmistress.

"Wonderful Granger, in the meantime, here's a list of areas that need some work. I'll see you for dinner tonight in the great hall?"

"Certainly, thank you headmistress." Hermione gave a curt bow before she left. As she headed out of the office she thought she heard Snape say "As long as you're not planning on hiring Potter next," to McGonigal, to which she replied that she hadn't thought of that but might take him up on his idea by creating a post specifically for him.

Hermione made a mental note that next time she wrote to Harry she would definitely tell him about this meeting.

Her list had several areas on it and she decided to start from the top down. There was a classroom on the second floor that needed to be set up due to starting new classes in it this coming year. She was to move tables and chairs from one room into the one that needed set up. She moved the furniture and completed the set up, and then moved onto the next task. The room took such a long time that she was only able to complete one more task before dinner time.

Outside the great hall she was to do some cleaning of the oldest paintings and clean the tarnish from the suits of armor and have the bricks in the room scoured clean from top to bottom. "So glad I'm a witch right now," she uttered as she set out to begin what looked to be a long and tedious job.

As she lifted her wand Malfoy came into the area and walked right up to her.

"What are you doing here?" he asked rudely.

"I'm trying to clean, what does it look like?" She replied sarcastically and momentarily lowered her wand.

"But this was a task on my list, are you trying to show me up Granger?" He gave her a hard stare.

"Although that wouldn't be hard to do, no, I'm not." She rolled her eyes as she lifted her wand again to begin the spell. "I have to hand it to you though Malfoy, not giving me the password this morning, really nice."

He ignored her comment as he lifted his wand at the same time and pointed it where she was and began his own spell, trying to force her out of the area. His spell mixed with hers and caused a bit of destruction as the brick blew apart.

"I can fix this," Hermione told Draco, but neither of them budged. When she tried to fix it he did a spell to fix it at the same time and permanently destroyed the bricks.

"What's your problem Malfoy?!" she shouted at him. She didn't want him to ruin her chances of teaching at the school.

"Could you just butt out Granger, this wasn't even your task," he shouted back.

"Yes it is!"

He began trying to clean and ignored her again, and she cast the same spell he had that destroyed the other bricks. Then they began removing pictures from the walls and hitting one another's pictures with each other's frames while bickering back and forth. After a few minutes they heard a sound behind them.

"Ahem,"

Both of them turned around to see the headmistress with a stern look on her face and dropped the pictures they were removing from the wall with innocent expressions on their faces.

"I had hoped that both of you could put the past behind you and work together. I'm very disappointed."

"I'm sorry headmistress, it's just that this room was on my list…" Malfoy began.

"Oh, I see. It was on your list so you and Professor Granger couldn't have worked together to clean it?"

Hermione didn't answer and continued to look strait at the headmistress while Draco tried to answer.

"It's a one person job, really." He faltered at the look on her face.

"And I don't believe you are innocent in this either Professor Granger." McGonigal added.

Hermione looked up, wondering if she would accept an explanation.

"You see professor, we were…" she began when she was cut off.

"I stood here for several minutes and I believe I saw exactly what was going on." McGonigal threw back. "Both of you have to work as a team, if not, your negativity will degrade the entire foundation of this school. Unprofessional behavior like what I had experienced today will not be tolerated."

"It won't happen again," Malfoy replied.

"I'm sure it won't Professor, because in order for your students to respect each of you, you must respect each other."

Hermione nodded her head.

"Oh, you agree then Professor?" she asked Hermione.

"Yes," she replied.

"I agree too professor," Malfoy piped in.

"I'm glad to hear it! Because for the year you both will sit next to each other at the staff table at every meal time."

"What? I have to sit with her?" Malfoy protested, Hermione echoed a look of disgust in his direction.

"And for the remainder of the year you will complete all tasks I give you as a team as well as carrying out evening patrols together. Any more protests? I'm sure I can combine your quarters…" she said with a threat lingering on the air.

They were both silent and looked at the floor angrily.

"Great. Now, it's time for dinner and afterwards you can clean this mess up." She said as she pointed to the pieces of brick and pictures littering the floor.

She turned where she stood and they followed her into the great hall. Malfoy sat at the middle and Hermione wanted to sit up towards the front of the table. She begrudgingly sat next to him and didn't say a word. They were silent all though dinner and she tried to eat as much as she could so that she could skip breakfast in the morning.

"Being a bit of a pig, aren't you?" Malfoy whispered in her direction so only she could hear.

Her mouth was too full of a drumstick she was eating to reply to him.

He got up to leave since he was finished when the headmistress used magic to push his chair in under him, causing him to be seated and pushed back to the table.

"Do join us a little longer Professor, it will be hard to start on the task outside as a team if you don't wait for professor Granger." She said naturally.

The other teachers were unaware that there was any issue between the two of them and many were surprised to see them sitting next to each other and behaving so cordially. Both Hermione and Draco didn't want the other teachers to know that they had been reprimanded, and would prefer for them to think they were getting along rather than know the truth. Both wore fake smiles for the staff and avoided looking at one another.

After the remaining teachers left, the headmistress and Hermione and Draco were alone again.

"I feel like I need something to be made clear for the two of you." She began. "You will not miss any mealtime without my express permission. I've never seen you eat so much Granger so please don't imagine that I don't know what you're up to. You both will escort each other to and from your quarters each day. If you two fail to get along, I will be forced not to renew your posts next school year. That will be all," she dismissed them with a downcast look on her face.

Both Hermione and Draco left the hall feeling dejected. Neither of them could believe that their success would ever rest on the other. To both of them it was a pure nightmare.

Hermione took Draco's lead when picking up because she knew he would never take hers and she was too sad to argue. She was fighting back tears as she copied the spells he tried.

She knew him long enough to know that he could never have any real respect for her because of her muggle born status, and that if she was going to get along with him, it would mean that she had to do things his way or risk losing her job. Had she really worked so hard just to be at Draco Malfoy's mercy?

Draco was furious, he couldn't believe that after all he did to prove himself last year, the headmistress would put him through this. Was it even worth it? He sighed. He had no future beside Hogwarts, it was his attempt at trying to create his own legacy. Out of anyone he would have to work with, why Granger? He was glad she wasn't talking to him at the moment, he couldn't stand one more know it all thing coming out of her mouth.

They both worked around the room in silence until they were finished and Draco turned to head back to the teachers quarters. Hermione followed yet again.

When she got to her quarters she slammed the door and curled up on her couch next to the fire and cried herself to sleep. She wasn't aware that she had even fallen asleep until she heard a knock on her door the next morning.

She got up to answer the door and it was Malfoy. "What," she asked, irritated at his presence.

"Breakfast, or maybe you aren't hungry after all that shoveling last night…" He said in his cold voice.

She slammed the door in his face as she tried to pull herself together and get ready. After 15 minutes she came out and Malfoy wasn't outside her room. She knew they had to accompany each other and thought about knocking on his door. Even the idea of him repulsed her.

She knocked on his door and didn't get an answer so she began to head out when she saw him in the common area in a chair next to the fire, reading a book. He actually didn't look menacing when he read, she had never seen him in that pose before. She coughed loudly to signal that she was ready. He saw her, rolled his eyes, and snapped his book shut. He silently got up and began to walk out of the room.

Instead of trailing behind like she did the day before, she decided he had just as much to lose as she did, and that it wasn't her problem if he couldn't respect her. She wasn't going to be the only one to "try" and she wasn't going to go down without a fight. Who knows, they could end up being colleges for years, and she would have to work with him as he was going to have to work with her. She didn't have to make this easy for him.

When they got to the great hall she sat down towards the front of the table and he sat down in the middle. He kept eyeing her angrily and expecting her to move, but she ignored his stares and stayed put. He begrudgingly got up and moved over to sit next to her.

"Let's get one thing straight Granger," he whispered. "I don't want it circulated to the staff about McGonigal's arrangement."

"Nor do I," she said haughtily as Neville took a seat.

"Surprised to see you two sitting next to each other. I thought last night was a joke or something." He laughed. Both of them looked at each other and back at Neville and forced smiles at him.

"We get along just fine Neville," Hermione stated in a matter of fact voice.

Malfoy merely nodded as he roughly opened his morning paper.

"Oookkaayyy," Neville started in on his food and felt the tension between the both of them. Hagrid came and sat down next to Neville.

"Oi," he said as Hermione looked up and smiled.

Draco looked up too, this was too much. If he sat with Granger he would be with Longbottom, whom he could tolerate, and this blithering idiot. He had never thought too much of Hagrid but worked hard to get to know him better the previous year. He was always going on about different creatures and could be too sensitive for his taste.

"Professor," Hagrid said as he leaned his head towards Malfoy.

"Professor," Malfoy returned the greeting stiffly.

Hermione wasn't very hungry because she ate so much the night before and Malfoy looked over at her when he was finished.

"I'm ready," she answered his look. As he stood up she stood as well. "Bye, see you guys later," she waved to her friends.

"They sure are acting funny if you ask me," Hagrid said to Neville.

"You're not kidding," Neville returned.


	3. Chapter 3

CH. 3

After breakfast they started on the task list that McGonigal had made for them.

Once out in the hall, Hermione pulled the task list out of her pocket and began reciting her thoughts out loud. "I was thinking we could start with the Library and then move on to the main hallway on the left side, and then finish off with cleaning the Slytherin common room," Hermione began.

"Amazing, you're actually this pretentious all the time, I thought it was only in classes." He remarked.

"Look Malfoy, if we have to work together, comments like that don't help. I don't like this anymore than you do."

"Well maybe I don't like how you have the whole list already planned out? What if I didn't want to do any of those today?" he said, frustrated.

"It bothers you that I take the lead, doesn't it? You're not used to strong females, admit it, you feel threatened by me," she couldn't help getting it out.

Malfoy looked around before he answered, not wanting to be overheard. "That's where you're wrong, I just don't like you Granger. You think you're so smart and you're a pretentious pratt who has no magical blo…" he stopped himself. He wasn't like that anymore, hating muggle borns. He knew that this year he would be a head of house for all his students, and several of them happened to be muggle born and half bloods.

"Oh, this again. Because I'm muggle born. Grow up Malfoy, I may be muggle born but I have more talent than you and your pure blood friends combined." It wasn't like her to brag about herself, but she did it more out anger than anything else. She realized she did sound pretentious just then. "And sorry if it does sound pretentious, but it's true. And I'm not going to apologize for being muggle born any more than you should apologize for being pure blood. What does it even matter?" She said in a huff.

They both stood in silence for a moment before Malfoy spoke.

"You're right," it was a large concession for him to make. He hoped by admitting it he didn't make her more pretentious.

"What?" Hermione said, shocked.

"Not about having more talent, but by asking what it matters. It doesn't." He reached over to the list she was holding, grabbed it out of her hand, and considered the tasks.

She expected that this was as close as she might ever get to an apology and believed he was genuine in his reply. It was a start, but it didn't make them friends. Not even close.

She waited for him to look over the tasks.

"I want to start with the Slytherin common room first, then you can pick next." He said as he handed the list back to her.

She knew she might have to compromise if they were going to work as a team. "Fine," she said in a huffy tone.

They walked off together to the common room to begin and worked the next several hours in silence.

When she was done Hermione stood where she was and waited as Draco finished. He was doing some non verbal spells she hadn't seen before. Having grown up as a muggle the only cleaning spells she saw were when she went to the Weasley's house. She wanted to ask him what spells he was using but thought the better of it. She didn't want to break the silence they had going or give him a chance to mock her.

"What's the matter Granger, never seen anyone clean before?" Draco was aware of being started at. His tone was only half as rude as usual.

"Not like that," Hermione admitted as she waited patiently for him to be done.

Draco didn't reply but was happy to hear he knew a spell that Hermione didn't.

When he was done she announced they would be headed to the library.

"I remember the list, I don't need a reminder," he replied.

"Just making sure you didn't 'forget' our agreement," she said in her know it all tone that irritated him.

When they got to the library, madame Pince was already cleaning so there wasn't much left to do.

"So I get to pick next," he said as he held up the list.

"Well, no, because this task was already done I get to pick again." She was trying to say this as friendly as possible and not start an argument.

"Nope, I pick one, you pick one, that was the deal." He took out a quill from the library to scratch some tasks off his list.

Hermione was resigned, it wasn't really worth fighting about. Once the tasks were done all they had to do from now on were patrols and meals together. She couldn't wait to go back to her quarters and be alone. Hermione sighed.

"Next up, the grounds in the front of the castle, weeding." He announced.

They walked out the front doors and started weeding on opposite sides of the entrance, at least they could be separated this way.

Hermione was pulling up the weeds and throwing them in a pile, when Draco came over to her.

"Aren't you done yet?" he asked.

She had only cleared out a small area and couldn't believe he would have been done either.

"Are you pulling them up by hand? But that's how a muggle would…" he stopped, remembering who he was talking to.

She glared at him as she stood up and brushed the dirt off of her clothes with her dirty hands. "Well how do you suggest I do it?" She went over to his side to see how he had done and it was completely clear. "How did you get done so fast?" Just a few minutes before there were several weeds in the area he picked.

"Seriously Granger, this is great! By all means, finish. I'm going to sit here and take a break, it's a beautiful day, isn't it." He said, taunting her.

She sat back down and continued where she left off, planning to write to Mrs. Weasley as soon as possible to ask her if she knew how to do weeding with magic. Even when she stayed at the burrow they pulled weeds but she didn't remember them using magic. "But the kids were not allowed to use magic outside of school at that time," she reminded herself.

After a few hours Hermione finished and she headed inside. After being taunted for hours while she pulled weeds by hand, she had had her fill of Draco for the rest of the year.

"Where are you going Granger, the great hall is this way," Draco pointed out.

"Look at me, I'm filthy, I have to go clean up first." She growled as she continued to walk to the room.

"It won't make much of a difference," he muttered under his breath as he passed her.

It happened before she even could stop herself. She pulled out her wand and pointed at his back. "Say that again to my face Malfoy!"

He turned around and laughed, he had been pushing her buttons all day. Granger wasn't joking, she had an impertinent fire in her eyes, one that told him he was in danger if he continued.

"You may have been a big man when you had me in your house being tortured, watching as your aunt threatened my life and told me how every drop of my blood was filthy and deserved to be spilt, but I'm not the same as I was before." Her chest was heaving and her wand hand was dangerously still.

He hadn't intended this comment to be about her blood, he was just merely being rude to her like usual. Her reaction caught him off guard. He didn't want to talk about his aunt and was ashamed of the way his family had served the dark lord and all the people who were hurt along the way. He didn't know what to say to her, but it hurt him that anyone would now think of him that way, even Granger. Hadn't he come to Hogwarts to get as far away from his past and that stigma as possible?

He didn't know if he should say anything but he slowly reached his hand up and put it on her arm to lower her wand. He looked back at her with sad eyes, speechless.

"Aren't you afraid I'll contaminate you?" Hermione snapped, clearly still enraged.

He debated his next words. "Hermione," he had never called her by her first name. His voice sounded pained as he continued, "I never wanted any of that to happen." He put his hand up on the wall next to him to steady himself. "That was…" he began when she interrupted him.

"But you were there, did you try to stop her? No!" She shouted at him. He had pushed her to the point of not holding anything back.

"When they brought you and Potter in I told them I couldn't be sure it was you, even though I was." He offered in his defense. He hadn't been a complete coward.

"Oh, that's really heroic of you Malfoy," she spat.

"You have no idea what it was like, having a family that served the Dark Lord," he felt like he just exposed himself.

"No, I wouldn't. I had to make my own parents forget me so they wouldn't be tortured for information, could you possibly imagine how that that must have felt? How could I be so daft as to ask that question to you Malfoy, the one person that doesn't care." She turned around and left the conversation and walked through the portrait hole and into her room.

He stood rooted to the spot, considering her perspective for a moment. As bad as things ever got for him, he never did have to make his parents forget him. They had even turned their allegiance to the other side just to get to see their son again. Had she forgotten that in the last battle he chose a different side, one that went against his family and cost him one of his best friends? After a moment he realized that he was shaking and sweating and rubbing his sleeve where his dark mark was. He took a few minutes to collect himself before entering the portrait hole behind her.

He sat on the couch and waited for her to come out of her room when the headmistress came into the common area.

"I'm afraid I missed you and professor Granger at lunch," it was an accusation more than anything.

"Yes, I'm sorry professor, we've been working today and she wanted to clean up before heading down. I was just waiting for her." He replied as her eyes softened.

"Very well, I'll see that your lunch is brought up to you here since we are finished in the great hall. How are things going so far?" She eyed him carefully for his answer.

He took a moment before replying, "We are trying" he said as he thought back to what Hermione had said.

"You look as white as a sheet Professor. Perhaps you ought to visit Poppy or take a rest for the remainder of the day." She offered.

"Thanks headmistress, I probably won't be joining you for dinner, but I'll let Gran…Professor Granger know that lunch will be out here when she's ready."

McGonigal nodded her head and saw herself out.

When he was ready, Draco approached Hermione's door and knocked lightly. "Granger, there's lunch out here for you." He said through the door. Afterwards he went to his room and closed the door.

Hermione came out of her room after a while and saw lunch on the table outside, just as Malfoy said it would be. After a day of taunting her and making allusions to muggles, she really had had it. She acknowledged to herself that she probably had lost her patience, and that Malfoy could have been, and often was, much worse than he had been today. Her eyes were red and puffy. She couldn't believe she had actually pulled her wand on him. She also couldn't believe that she spoke to him about the time she had been in his home and the horrors she experienced. She was right, he was the last person to care, and now she felt exposed and embarrassed. "It probably will give him something to laugh about later," she remarked to herself as her eyes narrowed.

He looked so shocked and her mentioning what had happened that he had even said her name, and sounded…sorrowful? She wasn't sure, she had never heard many emotions on his voice before. She finished her lunch and imagined that Malfoy must have got started on another area in the castle and went to look for him. If she was being honest, she had already got her fill of him for the day. When she didn't see him anywhere, she decided to just come back to her quarters to unpack her trunk.

She entered the portrait hole and heard a noise coming from Malfoy's room. It sounded like he might be moving furniture around. She hesitated and then decided to knock on the door.

She could hear the noise stop and when no one came to the door she knocked again. For the second time there was no answer. "I heard you, I know you're in there," she shouted towards the door.

He walked up to the door and spoke through it "I told the headmistress that I'll be missing dinner, enjoy your free time Granger." He spoke without any resentment in his voice. She was expecting more of a fight and had prepared herself for it.

"I will!" she said enthusiastically as she walked away from his door and into her own place across the hall. She had only been back in the castle for a few nights and already she was having to come face to face with Malfoy. At least tonight she could have a break.


	4. Chapter 4

Ch. 4

After she unpacked her trunk she sat down and wrote letters to her friends and one to Mrs. Weasley as she promised herself she would.

She told them how much she liked the castle and that Malfoy was also a teacher, but she left out the part about McGonigal making them work together. She could picture Harry's reaction, he'd probably say that even if Malfoy was a git, she still needed to support what McGonigal had asked her to do. Ron would probably tell her to leave and see if there were any positions open at Durmstang. She stuck just to the basics and put in how nice it was to see Neville and Hagrid again. After she was done she headed to the great hall, excited to have her freedom.

She talked with the different professors as everyone shared what their tasks had been and she had a really nice time.

"Where's Professor Malfoy?" Professor Flitwick had asked her.

McGonigal answered, "When I saw him earlier he was as very pale and said he wasn't feeling well. He said he might come down to see you Poppy."

"That's odd," Mrs. Pomfrey said, "All last year he wasn't sick even once."

"Nor did he miss a meal time," laughed Professor Flitwick.

It was true that he did try to help her and her friends when they came to his house that night, she remembered his aunt pressuring him as well. He might have been a prisoner in his own house for all she knew. If he had truly wanted her dead, all he would have had to do was say the words and it would have been done. Hermione felt guilty and knew what she said to him earlier was probably the cause for his absence. She considered what they had said and began to prepare him a plate of food to take back with her.

She remembered during the battle that he had not gone to Voldemort, but instead had helped those who stayed behind to protect Hogwarts. She remembered too, that when the battle was over, he didn't remain with his parents, but sought out each death eater and personally captured them and handed them in to Kingsley to be locked in the dungeons until the ministry could be trusted to take them. She remembered his aunt Belitrix, killed by Mrs. Weasley, and how Draco stepped over her dead body as he embraced his mom. "Maybe I was too hard on him, he has seen horrible things too," she thought.

"What's wrong Hermione?" Neville asked as many of the teachers grew silent to look at her.

"Nothing, I'm fine," she said as she continued loading up a plate for Malfoy.

"I hope you're not coming down sick too," Madame Pomphrey said, concerned.

"I think I just over did it today is all. I'll be turning in soon and I'm taking something to eat to Professor Malfoy." They all gave her kind looks as she got up to leave.

"Take care Neville, I'll see you tomorrow," she said before leaving the great hall.

She didn't know how she would say sorry when she still did feel a strong sense of anger at him for his behavior during the day. He just liked to take things too far, like watching her weed a garden for a few hours so he could take a break to gloat in the sunshine.

She crossed through the portrait hole and walked right up to his door and knocked again. After a few moments the door opened a crack and Hermione held up the plate.

"I thought you might be hungry," she tried to say in a friendly way.

He just stood there and after a few seconds reached out to take the plate. As he did, he stepped into the light a little more and she could see that his eyes were a little red too, just as hers had been earlier.

"Um…thanks," he said as he took the plate from her hand and began to shut his door. She stuck her foot in so it couldn't close all the way. She had come to say something and she wanted to get it off her chest.

"Malfoy, I'm sorry for what I said today." She sighed "That was a time that was hard on all of us and was surely hard on you as well."

He stayed stunned in the doorway, wanting to close it but unable to find the energy. "What did you say that wasn't true?" He lingered for another moment. "I think you need to know, I'm not like I was. I can see tonight that no matter how much I change I can't take back the past," his voice was faltering with sorrow again.

She didn't know what to say, she had never considered that he wanted to be anything but who he was when they went to school together. Now it was obvious to her why he sat with her on the train, he really was trying.

"I can tell you have changed," she took a deep breath before speaking again, "Draco." She had a serious look on her face. "I'm willing to try if you are."

"Would you believe me if I said I have been trying?" he managed.

"Yes, I do believe it and I admit I hadn't seen it sooner." She felt weird having an actual conversation with him.

"What do you mean?" he asked.

Other teachers were starting to show up and it felt awkward for her to stand at the door.

"let's talk tomorrow." She said as she saw Neville pass by with a quizzical look on his face. As she turned Malfoy shut his door.

In the morning she heard a knock on her door and was ready to go. Malfoy hadn't woken her up too early this time.

"Granger," he called through the door as she opened it.

"What's on our list for today," she asked, letting him pick first.

"Wow Granger, you're actually going to let me pick first today? I thought you'd have the day planned out?" he said in a trying to be friendly but sarcastic voice.

"I do, but I'm trying to be nice," she half smiled.

"We can pick over breakfast," he said as he lead the way out of the portrait hole.

Overall they were on friendlier terms, but by no means friends. The next week and a half passed quickly and before they knew it, the first day of school had arrived. The headmistress had called a meeting of all the teachers.

"As you know this year we have welcomed on a new addition to our staff, Hermione Granger. Hermione has not only fulfilled the post of Transfiguration teacher, but has agreed to be head of Gryffindor house."

Several teachers were clapping but she noticed one that wasn't; Malfoy.

"I'd like the heads of houses to listen carefully as I give instructions for sorting this year. Professor Longbottom is the head of Hufflepuff house, Professor Flitwick is head of Ravenclaw House, Professor Malfoy is head of Slytherin house, and Professor Granger is head of Gryffindor house."

"When the students are brought into the great hall by Professor Hagrid, they will be sorted into their houses. After the feast, they will be led by their prefects toward their house common rooms. I want the heads of house to go up to their houses common rooms and greet the students before they turn in for the evening. You have a few hours to prepare yourself before the sorting will begin. Please be back here about 15 minutes before the sorting is to begin," She concluded.

She walked back to the teacher's common area, talking to Neville on her way. "What kind of speech should I give, what do you do or say when you're a head of house?"

"Well, you mostly just say welcome and let them know the rules. What I told my house last year was how to get a hold of me when there was an emergency, if they couldn't get a hold of their prefect."

"How do they get a hold of you? It's not like our rooms are in their houses. We never called for Professor McGonigal, she just kind of showed up…"

"Have you ever noticed the portrait in your bedroom? There's a second one in the common room. If the students need to page you they can do it from there, it also alerts you if there is a student out of bed."

"I don't remember those from when I went to school here." She replied.

Draco who had been following behind them suddenly kept pace with them. "That's because they are a new security feature since the attack." He added.

"Oh," She started, she didn't want to bring up the past with Draco again. Not after what happened last time.

"I came up with the idea, as well as a few other safety features to make the castle safer. Chocolate Cauldrons" Draco said as the portrait swung open.

She started to change the subject "Neville, how is it that you're head of Hufflepuff house and not Gryffindor?"

"I actually had my choice of which house I wanted when Professor Sprout became assistant headmaster," Neville began.

"Assistant TO the headmaster, Longbottom," Malfoy corrected.

"Yes, thanks Malfoy," he started again "so anyways, professor McGonigal gave me my choice and I already knew Gryffindor common room and history really well. The sorting hat almost put me in Hufflepuff, so I don't think it's that far of a stretch. I decided I wouldn't mind being the head of house for Hufflepuff and I let McGonigal know my choice. Last year McGonigal was the head of house for Gryffindor while Professor Sprout took on Slytherin."

"Malfoy, it's your first year to be a head of house too?" She thought he might have been in that position last year…

"Yes, although I did ask last year and was told that no one was able to be a head of house as their first year as a teacher." He said a little coldly.

Hermione now understood why he didn't clap, he had been upset, maybe even jealous about McGonigal's decision.

"Well, one thing's for sure Hermione," Neville added. "You'll be busier than most of us. Gryffindor's have a reputation for sneaking out the most and for getting in the most trouble."

"That is true," Malfoy echoed, a smile appearing on his face for the first time that evening.

Hermione gave a confident smile back, "I was definitely one of those. I snuck out probably about once a week for the entire time I went to school here."

"Granger? I thought you were a rule follower?" Malfoy couldn't imagine her doing that.

"Nope, she's right. Once I caught her sneaking out and she stunned me so I couldn't stop her." Hermione gave him a sad look. "You did cover me up with a blanket though," he added.

"I remember that Neville, sorry." She squeezed his arm.

"I remember a time when you punched me in the face," Malfoy threw into the conversation.

"No way! Did you really Hermione?"

"Yes," She replied, remembering what he had said to her.

"She broke my nose! I had never been punched before, but in all fairness I deserved it."

Hermione wished she could apologize, but she couldn't. That was the time he had called her a filthy mud blood. "Yes, you did," she said kindly as she looked in his direction. He was half smiling and then stood up.

"I better get back to the great hall pretty soon, it's almost time," he said. "Are you guys coming?"

"Sure," Neville said.

"Yeah," Hermione returned as she got up and joined them.

They filtered into the great hall and noticed the table had been moved to the very back, exactly like it was when they were in school.

"There's no assigned seating, but once you pick your seat it would be best to keep it for the year." McGonigal said to the staff, she eyed Draco and Hermione.

Hermione looked over at Draco. She would like to keep an eye on her students and was sure he would like to keep an eye on his. He sat down at the far end of the table, directly in front of the Slytherin table.

"Do you think we could sit a little more to the middle?" She asked in a hurried tone as the other teachers were approaching the table.

Malfoy sighed. "It's really an inconvenience, I like this spot."

"Just over a few, I'm not asking for a lot!" She shot back, her voice getting louder, drawing attention to them.

He raised up begrudgingly and moved over two spaces, sitting in the third seat in.

"It's not like you HAVE to sit next to each other, right Hermione?" Neville questioned.

Hermione faked a laugh, she forgot he was right behind her "Of course not!" She said as she took her seat next to Malfoy. "Are you going to join us Neville?"

He knew there was something weird going on with the two of them and wasn't sure he wanted to listen to them act this way at every meal for the year.

"I was actually hoping to get a table in front of my house so I could keep a good eye on them," he said to Hermione suspiciously as he left to the other side of the table.

"That's exactly what I was saying," Malfoy piped in.

"Well I wanted the same thing and I have to compromise!" She snapped at him.

Professor Flitwick came and sat next to Malfoy as Hagrid went over and sat next to Hermione.

"Oi Professor," He said as he bent his head down. "Hermione, is he botherin' you? Notice he's been sitting next to you a lot, always looking surly." He said as he nodded his head over to Malfoy.

Malfoy heard him and glared over at Hagrid, Hermione noticed this and leaned in to block Malfoy from view.

"I'm fine, thanks Hagrid," she changed the subject, "So the first years are here I take it!"

"Yeah," he looked skeptically at Hermione, "They're all lined up outside." Hermione noticed that the 7th and 6th years had taken their seats, and that the 5th years were following suit. After a few minutes the 4th, 3rd, 2nd years came into the hall. "Here they come now," he said as the first years filtered into the great hall. Excitement filled the air and Hermione had a smile on her face in anticipation for the sorting.

Malfoy didn't look excited or happy as the great hall filled up, but Hermione was beaming at all the little first years. "Is it hard to believe that we were that little once?" She asked him.

"Can you keep it to yourself Granger? I have a reputation to keep." He hissed at her.

She ignored him. "They're so cute!"

"Granger, enough, my house table is laughing at you," he glared at her as he nodded in their direction.

She looked over and noticed that many students were watching her and did appear to be laughing. She looked again at Malfoy to see what his pose looked like and attempted to copy it while she reined herself in.

She looked over at her own house table to see them having a similar reaction. Some of the 6th and 7th years she remembered from when she was a prefect a few years ago.

The headmistress pulled out the sorting hat and placed it on the stool as the first years lined up. The hat sang its song, a different one like it sings every year. The song alluded to old rivals becoming friends. Hermione looked straight forward while feeling awkward thinking that the song might allude to her and Draco, and Draco snorted loudly and laughed it off. The students and teachers listened and tried to figure out its meaning.

"First years, please come forward when you hear your name, the sorting hat will be placed on your head and sort you in to your houses," the headmistress announced as she lifted the hat from the stool.

Each time the hat called a student for Gryffindor she smiled widely, and each time it called a student for Slytherin she looked at Draco to see if he was smiling. She knew he wasn't enjoying her reactions, but she thought smiling was better than how she was acting before, and that was as far as she could rein it in.

When the sorting was over there was the start of the term speech and the usual big feast. There were many dishes and the students took their time trying nearly everything on the table. The first years were amazed to see that the empty plates and cups refill themselves.

When the feast was done, the prefects were called to lead the first years to their houses while the other years waited behind for a few minutes.

"I suppose we ought to go now?" Hermione whispered over to Draco, making sure it was the right time to remove herself from the hall.

"A word before we do." His voice was also dropped to a whisper "Since we have to sit together I expect you to behave in a way that doesn't embarrass me," he said coldly.

"Understood master," she returned. He gave her an incredulous look, "that's what you wanted, isn't it? Me to follow every order you command?" She spat.

"I just expect you to behave in a way that normally befits a teacher." He returned.

"It's normal to be excited Malfoy, this was my first sorting as a teacher. Weren't you excited last year?"

He ignored her and stood up to leave the table. She began to follow suit when Hagrid leaned over to Hermione.

"It seems there's something odd going on between you and Malfoy. I'm not going to pry but I'm here if you want to talk. Now go get your first years." He whispered in a serious tone.

She went down the passage way that lead to Gryffindor tower. How could it be in all the chores that she did, they never took her back to her old tower? When she reached the portrait of the fat lady she opened up without the password.

"Good evening Professor Granger," the fat lady said as she swung open.

"Good evening," she beamed as she strolled in.

The common room was packed. The first years were already there as well as most of the other years of students in her house.

A student did a loud whistle when she approached to quiet down the crowd.

"Good evening students, and welcome to Gryffindor house!"

There were cheers and whistles from the crowd.

"While you're in this house I need to explain a few rules to you. No one is to leave this tower after bedtime hours except for express emergencies. The first step is to notify your prefects if there is something going on that you need assistance with and they will page me from there."

"Yeah, but didn't you like break 100 school rules when you were a Gryffindor? Word is that you've snuck out loads of times, cut us some slack." A student spoke and the other students were echoing their assent.

"Excuse me, mister…?" she asked, now realizing why McGonigal always had a sharper side with her students, and why Malfoy wanted to put a reputation out there to his students.

"Bones, Travis. My sister is Susan Bones."

"Ah, that makes sense," she now found out how he had learned these things. "Mr. Bones, you will have a week of detention for your rudeness. Does anyone wish to join him?" She looked around the room that was no longer elated.

"School rules are to be followed at all times. There is a competition in this school for earning house points, and each year that I attended this school Gryffindor won the house cup. Your schedules will be dispensed tomorrow in the great hall after breakfast. Sleep tight. Prefects, a word please?" She was sounding more McGonigal-ish by the minute.

A boy and girl came up to her and she went over her expectations with them. She also told them where the prefects bathroom was located should they need a short break from their duties. The knowledge about the portrait being able to page her was not common and she shared it only with the prefects.

She turned and left the common room and headed back to the great hall. Seeing all the tables lined up made it feel like home again to her. She had missed this place so much and started reflecting about her speech to the students tonight and felt that she bombed, not having said what she wanted to. She paced the great hall for a few more minutes when someone popped in.

"Granger?"

"Malfoy, what are you doing in here?"

"I was heading back and heard footsteps, what are you doing?" His tone was truly curious.

"Just enjoying being back, it feels different though on this side of things. So how did your speech go?"

"Fine, just explained the basics." He didn't elaborate.

He could remind her of professor Snape sometimes. She could imagine the speech he gave to his students every year, and she laughed.

"What is it Granger?" Malfoy asked in an irritated voice.

"Just imagining your speech if you were Snape," she smirked.

"You laugh, but he was a good head of house." Malfoy returned. He still admired his God father. "Like your speech was so great?" he pushed.

"Yeah, it was pretty good," she lied.

"Oh, yeah, let's hear it. Go on…"

"Well I just told them all welcome and that we'd have a great school year, and that we needed to win the house cup, and they all started cheering."

"Good for you Granger. You're a more accomplished liar than I gave you credit for." He said as they reached the teachers common room and entered.

"I'm not…" she began when she was cut off by Neville.

"Your prefects have been paging you for the last 15 minutes, there's some trouble in Gryffindor tower."

She turned directly out of the portrait and went straight up to the common room. "It's a bit rowdy in there tonight Professor," the fat lady said as she swung open.

She walked in on the scene, a massive party that was out of control. She approached where the music was and smashed the box onto the ground and then announced that it was bedtime. "If I get one more warning that a student is out of bed tonight, that student will sleep in the shrieking shack," she warned.

The students filtered into their beds and she waited by the fire for half an hour, fuming.

She decided she was done with fun and games and the quarter hadn't even begun yet.

When she got back to the teacher's common room Malfoy was still waiting up sitting by the fire. She debated if she wanted to go over and tell him what happened, or just go off to bed. She let go of her door handle and slowly walked over to the fire.

"So, did you wait up to hear about it?" she asked pointedly, knowing him well enough to know he had an ulterior motive for being there.

"No, just enjoying this book," he lowered it to talk to her.

"Who's the liar now Malfoy…" she said sarcastically.

"What happened," he ignored her quip.

"Mutiny, however they no longer have a music player, that might help them to see that I'm serious." She was going to have to rely on the other heads of house to help her be successful. Even though she felt she was on shaky ground, she took a chance on being honest with him.

"You really have to work on your presence around the students," he said in a condescending tone. "They can tell if you're soft, and they will take advantage of it."

Hermione sat down, ignoring his tone but realizing there was some truth to what he said. "I know, I see that now," she admitted.

"Well, hate to say I told you so. I'm off to bed." He closed his book as he stood up.

"You waited up just to say 'I told you so?'" she asked, frustrated.

He paused for a few moments "…yeah…"

She threw one of the pillows from the couch at his face and turned around to go into her room. "Next time," she thought, "if I'm debating talking to him or not, the answer will be no."


	5. Chapter 5

Ch. 5

In the morning she woke him up by knocking on his door.

"Who," he began when he saw Hermione, "of course, Granger, do you know what time it is?" He rubbed his eyes.

"Yes, but we have to wake up early today, it's the first lesson of the school year!" She possessed an enthusiasm that he just didn't share.

"Can't you go wake someone else up?" he said with an irritated tone.

"I want to go down to breakfast now so I can get schedules laid out and conference with students as they enter the great hall." She was not relenting.

"Seriously?" He couldn't believe this.

"I'm just going to head out and meet you there," she said impatiently.

He knew that would draw attention from McGonigal that he didn't need. "Just give me a few minutes!" he snapped at her and shut his door.

She paced around outside of his room until he was ready to go.

He came out a few minutes later looking surlier than usual. Hermione didn't care to speak to him, she just wanted to make it to the great hall.

Once they got there the great hall was empty.

"The house elves probably haven't even woken up to prepare breakfast yet. Next time I'm not leaving this early!" he half shouted.

"It was only for the first day," she reassured and she sorted out the schedules for her students alphabetically. It made her happy to see she had gotten under his skin after the 'I told you so' he had delivered to her the evening before.

"What are you doing now?" He was irritable as he watched her moving small pieces of paper around.

"Sorting the schedules. Aren't you going to do that too? You want to be prepared…" She said in her know it all voice and raised her eyebrows at him.

"Granger you're driving me crazy and I'm pretty close to never talking to you again." He said sarcastically.

She was getting used to his sense of humor even though it didn't make her laugh.

"I think I can manage," she replied with a half smile as he pulled out his schedules and started alphabetizing them as well. He had nothing better to do.

Slowly, students filed in and Hermione managed to speak with everyone from her house over breakfast and pass out their schedule. By the time lessons started she had a free period in her classroom. She took the time to rehearse her first lesson and read the chapter she was assigning for homework for the 50th time.

Her first lesson was good, but it made her feel a bit jumbled to bounce back and forth between different lessons and books for the other years of students. One hour she was teaching to first years, the second lesson she might be teaching 7th years advanced transfiguration. She had five periods to teach in a day, all one hour each. At the end of the day she felt like she was going to crash from exhaustion.

She went to the great hall for dinner and didn't see Malfoy, so she made her way down to the dungeons to find him. When she approached his classroom he hadn't noticed her and was writing down some notes. He was pensive and seemed to be writing furiously. All of a sudden he became aware that he was being watched and looked up.

"Sorry to disturb you…" she quickly added "Professor." The last part caught him off guard. He looked the part so she couldn't help but address him that way, but she didn't want the appearance of respect to go to his head.

"Come in, I'm just finishing a note and then we can be off."

She stepped inside and walked around the classroom, noticing the items he had displayed and noticing too that the dungeon seemed a bit brighter than when Snape taught down here. He set his quill down and stood up.

"Ready?" He waited for her to join him before closing the door. She couldn't imagine what could have brought on this semi polite behavior, but it was a nice change.

The next few weeks went by in a blur. Malfoy had heard about Granger's actual speech to her class and had brought it up often. When she asked him questions or approached him, he would usually utter "not going to give me detention, are you Granger?"

Although they were able to be civil towards each other, they still were not friends. They were careful not to share any personal information and not talk more than necessary during meal times.

Then, something had happened that he hadn't expected at all. He had a Gryffindor student, Travis Bones, in his class that was causing trouble for one of his Slytherin students. The boy, who was pure blood, had been terrible to a girl student from his house. He heard the boy call her a mud blood in the middle of class and he got extremely defensive. He could see the effect Travis's words had on the poor Syltherin student who was close to tears.

"Mr. Bones, one month's detention!" he yelled towards the student while class was still going on. "If I hear language like that again you will go straight to the headmistress, do you understand?"

News of the detention had naturally spread all over the school, although the cause of the detention was a mystery. A few hours later at dinner, Hermione was asking him what had started it all.

"I'd rather not discuss it just now Granger." He replied curtly.

"He is in my house, Malfoy…" She continued.

"And took an action against someone in my house," he hissed at her. He decided he was done with dinner and got up to leave.

Hermione was still eating but called to him in a loud whisper, "Malfoy!" before she saw other students looking her way. She grabbed a few rolls and joined him since they were supposed to leave the hall together.

When she caught up to him she didn't talk, he was obviously enraged. She couldn't understand how asking him about his punishment of her student would cause him to be so angry. Did he feel he was above reproach? She started to feel a little huffy herself as she continued to walk with him.

When he got to the portrait she said the password rather loudly before he could utter it "Chocolate Cauldrons!"

"Shout it why don't you!" He said as he motioned for her to pass first.

She gave him a glare as she went first.

There were teachers already out in the common area by the fire so he couldn't talk to her in the open. He debated asking her to come into his room, but thought that might be awkward. He looked over at Hermione who had her arms crossed and eyes staring daggers at him. He didn't think he was ready to talk about it, least of all to her. She saw a sorrowful look on his face, the same one she saw on him before when she exploded at him about the war.

She dropped her stance and went to her front door and opened it. "Do you want to talk?" she asked. He looked up and down the hall to make sure no one would see him, he didn't want people to make idle talk about him and Granger.

He nodded his head and headed into her quarters. Her place looked very different from his in color, the walls were a warm red and so was the couch and she had a white carpet that made the whole place feel warm and cozy. Her fire was going and she bent down to put a log on the fire so that it didn't go out.

"I'll put on some tea," she said, wondering if this was going to be a short visit. "Please, feel free to take a seat." She tried to add respectfully. It felt weird to have Draco in her place.

He felt awkward coming into her place like this, but it donned on him that it would be easier to leave when he was done talking to her, versus trying to get her to leave his place. "I won't stay long," he thought.

Hermione brought out some tea and set it on a tray. It was a lavender black tea that he had never had before and he almost choked on his first taste.

"Is it too strong? Do you need some sugar?" Hermione offered.

"No," he said as he finished coughing. "I just wasn't expecting the lavender, it is pretty good." He set his cup down, he didn't want a social visit with Granger. Likewise, she didn't want one either.

She didn't push conversation and just waited for him to bring up the subject with her. He knew what she wanted to talk about. She resolved to sit in silence until he was ready. It was a little odd having him in her living room. She noticed he didn't look mad anymore.

After a few quiet minutes of sipping tea and staring at the fire, Draco realized that Hermione wasn't going to talk first, so he began.

"So, Mr. Bone's detention," he began.

Hermione just nodded her head, waiting.

"In class today, he called one of my Slytherin students a… derogatory name."

"I see, name calling has become a capital offense?" She had come to terms early on that Travis was going to be a trouble maker but she only punished him if he was truly out of line.

"Some names, yes…" He didn't want to tell her, or relive the times he had called her the same thing. This was one of those times where saying it to anyone else might not be that big of a problem, but why did it have to be Hermione of all people?

"What could he have possibly have said…" she started when he stood up, angry again.

"Why don't you ask him?" he said as he moved towards the door.

"Malfoy! What is your problem? One moment you're mad, the next you're not, you won't even look at me…" He hadn't yet reached the door handle but his hand was extended. He turned back towards her.

"I'm mad because I told you I didn't want to talk about it and you kept pushing me Granger!" he yelled at her. "That's all you do is push, all the time. Do you even know how hard it is for me to try to work with you?" He regretted how the words came out the instant he said them.

Hermione was taken aback, but a cold look had settled on her face.

"I'm sorry I 'pushed you' to have conversation like a human being. Don't worry, it won't happen again." She turned her back on him as she set her tea cup down rather roughly in the saucer.

He wanted to tell her, he had planned to tell her what Travis had said to his student, but he couldn't bring himself to do it. He was being a coward. He had said mud blood in front of Granger plenty of times, but when he needed to do it to talk about someone else, he couldn't do it.

"That wasn't what I meant," he began and Hermione turned to face him again, glaring. "You did push me, but…" he tried to start.

"I'll see you for breakfast," she said coldly.

He took the hint and headed out of her room and caught Neville passing just as he closed her door. Neville gave him an odd look as Malfoy did another curt nod and headed across the hall to his own place.

How could he tell her that the hardest part about working with her was not her, but him changing who he had been. He didn't know if he enjoyed her company or not, but he knew it did bother him that he was the source of her pain at the moment. He thought about his words over and over again, and how he would have felt if she had said that to him. They had both agreed to try to work together and it hadn't been easy, but they were getting along. He didn't know what he could do to make it better, if anything.

After sitting by the fire and finishing her cup of tea, she decided to pay a visit to Travis to find out what had happened that Malfoy couldn't tell her about.

She went to the portrait in her bedroom and paged one of her prefects. The Gryffindor girl prefect Janet answered her call.

"Hi Professor Granger," she said when she saw Hermione.

"Hi Janet, I'd like you to bring Mr. Bones down to see me in the transfiguration classroom as soon as possible."

"Yes professor." Janet returned as she left.

Hermione headed out to her classroom and had arrived just as Janet and Travis did.

"Thank you, Janet," she said in a friendly voice as the girl turned to leave.

"Please come in and have a seat Mr. Bones." Hermione motioned for Travis to enter.

As he entered he took a seat right across from Hermione.

"I asked you here tonight to talk about your detention with Professor Malfoy." She began.

"Yeah, Malfoy gave me detention, for a whole month!" he complained.

"That's Professor Malfoy, Mr. Bones. You may not like your professor, but you will address him respectfully. Understand?" She added in a severe tone.

He nodded his head while giving her a glowering look.

"Can you tell me why he gave you such a severe detention?" She asked again.

Travis didn't know much history about his new teacher and wasn't aware that she was a muggle born.

"I called a Slytherin girl a mud blood, but she is professor!" he tried to defend himself.

Hermione was totally taken aback. She didn't understand why Malfoy couldn't tell her what Travis had done, he himself had called Hermione that several times when they went to school together, and he never even got punished for it. Still, it didn't excuse him saying how hard it was to work with her. She had tried too, and it wasn't from lack of effort that she was able to keep a civil tone with him. She thought they were getting along just fine and his comment cut her deeper than expected.

She also wasn't sure how to deal with Travis, but felt she needed to make something clear to him.

"Why would you ever use a term like that?" she asked in a disgusted tone.

"Because she's a muggle in our school. It's not like she'll be talented enough to compete with real wizards and witches, everyone says so." He pointed out to her.

"So you bullied her because she is muggle born?" she tried to clarify.

"I guess…" he seemed unapologetic as he shrugged his shoulders.

"Does your family believe that way as well?" Hermione would never have expected that Susan Bones would have believed that way. She was trying to gauge where this was coming from.

"No, they love muggles." He returned.

"Mr. Bones, you may not acknowledge a muggle born as your equal, but you will show them respect while attending this school, or I will personally see to it that you are expelled. I have no tolerance for discrimination. You will apologize to the girl tomorrow at breakfast, and I'll be watching and shall know if it appears genuine. Tonight, I will be writing to your family about your behavior." She finished in a severe tone.

The look on his face told her he thought the punishment was severe.

"Oh, you think I'm being unfair…" she offered. She normally didn't have to ask this question because he usually protested any punishments that she gave him.

"I don't see why this would matter much to you, especially since PROFESSOR Malfoy has already punished me." He said professor in the rudest way possible.

"Because I'm your head of house and your punishments ultimately rest with me. Seriously Mr. Bones, you usually seem well informed, but it's strange that you overlooked that your own head of house is a muggle born witch." She gave him a disappointed look.

"You? You are? But, you…" he was having trouble accepting what she had just told him.

"Good night Mr. Bones, I shall see you at breakfast tomorrow." She let him know the conversation had ended.

He got up to leave and she stayed behind to think about their conversation, and her argument with Malfoy. She wondered how long she could be cold to Draco before McGonigal gave her the same speech that she just gave to Travis. Then she wondered if she should act like what Malfoy said tonight hadn't happened and just get the school year over with. Then she wouldn't have to worry about her job or working with him for the following year. She wondered if they would even talk if McGonigal didn't make them work together and highly doubted they would.

She headed back to the teacher's quarters and saw Malfoy reading by the fire. He heard her approach and got up and started to come over to her. She pretended she hadn't seen him and was trying to get into her door before he could get over to her. He ran to catch up with her as she tried to close the door.

"Can I come in?" he asked.

For the second time that night she held her door open for him. She sighed as she let him in, disappointed that she didn't get the door closed fast enough.

"I'm headed off to bed Malfoy," she said, letting him know to make it quick.

"Of course," he replied. He appeared to struggle with his next words. She didn't offer for him to sit down and he stood in her doorway as he closed the door behind himself.

"I was rude earlier Granger," He began.

"Don't worry about it," She said in an irritated tone. "You were being honest. Plus you won't have to work with me that much longer, we've come this far, I think we can get through the year." She said coldly.

"I wanted…" he tried to start again

"Anyways," she said as she rudely cut him off. "I spoke to Travis this evening," she let the last hang in the air.

His eyebrows raised. "And," he pushed.

"And I believe you've dealt with the issue!" She said, starting to feel angry that after all the talk that she was pushing him, he was now pushing back on her. It felt hypocritical.

"I'll just head out…" he reached out for the door handle.

Her emotions began bubbling up and she spoke what was really on her mind. "I thought we were working well together" she whispered in a sad voice.

He turned back around and looked at her squarely for the first time that day.

"We are…" he faltered. "What I said came out all wrong. It can be hard, working together," he explained, "but it has forced me to change how I think about things." He added genuinely.

He walked further in and sat on her couch. He motioned for her to come join him. "I won't stay long," he promised. He felt like coming in like that took some actual nerve on his part after how he had behaved earlier. But he had something else he needed to say to her.

She walked over to the couch, and with a huff she flopped down on the opposite side of the couch.

"I'm sorry if what I said hurt you Granger," he whispered.

She had never gotten an actual apology from him before and wasn't sure what to do with it. "Could he really be apologizing?" she thought as she just stared at him in shock.

"What?" he asked in an uncertain tone.

"I feel like I've seen a very different side of you since being here, but sometimes, I can see it still bothers you to be around me, whether it's because I'm me or because I'm a muggle, that's what I'm not sure about." Now she was the one with an uncertain tone.

"Would it make a difference if either of those things bothered me?" He wasn't sure why how he felt would matter to her. "Why care how I feel?" He asked matter of factly.

"I can ask you the same question, can't I?" She remembered he did come over to apologize.

He considered her point for a moment before answering. "I don't care that you're muggle born, I used to, but that's not who I am anymore."

She gave him a serious look and raised her eyebrows at him, as if to say, 'yeah right.'

"Seriously," He replied to her look and wanted to explain. "When I heard what Bones said to my student, I felt like I was back there. I saw the look on her face, and remembered the terrible things I had said…to you..." He felt awkward now.

Her eyes got wide and then she spoke again.

"Malfoy…I think…we might be becoming…friends…"

They looked at one another in surprise, knowing that what she said seemed to be true. Both of them made an uncomfortable face and he stood up from the couch. "I thought you said you were going to bed?" he offered feeling awkward.

"Oh, right, I'll see you tomorrow," she said as she stood up too.

"I can let myself out," he walked to the door and left. He was glad the interaction was over. What Hermione said was just a little too much for him to take.

Hermione was also relieved, she regretted saying what she did as soon as she said it, however true it might be.


	6. Chapter 6

Ch. 6

The next morning Malfoy knocked on her door and waited for Hermione to answer. The realization that they had become somewhat friends was weird for both of them, but it was still McGonigal's orders that they follow the same routine they had been. Plus, tonight, they had night patrols.

She came out of her room with her hair pulled back again and they headed out to breakfast. They didn't talk much on the way, they were both acting odd after last evening.

When they sat down Malfoy filled her cup, something he had never done before.

"Okay Malfoy, stop being nice to me, it's weirding me out!" She said to him in an irritated tone.

He put the jug back down as he smirked. "if it irritates you maybe I'll keep doing it…"

An owl had swooped down with a letter for her. As she untied it she saw that it was from Harry. "He's written back," she said as she gave the post owl a knut.

Malfoy continued his breakfast in silence and Hermione read her letter. He didn't get many letters anymore.

She scoffed as she read her letter, and after the fourth time Malfoy turned to her.

"What is it?" He asked to make her stop.

"He hasn't written the entire time I've been here, but writes now?"

"Who?" He pushed.

"Harry, apparently someone saw you go into my room last night and Harry wanted to make sure I was okay and asks me if we're dating! Gross…"

Draco choked on his drink and it sprayed out of his nose and mouth. Hermione tossed a napkin over to him and gave him a repulsed look.

"I know, and then he goes on to say it's none of his business. He's right about that part at least. We're barely even friends." She was incredulous.

He was relieved to hear her say the last part. He stared down the table at Neville who he knew had seen him going into Granger's the night before. He got up from his spot and headed down that way and took a seat next to Professor Longbottom.

"Longbottom," Malfoy began. "I don't appreciate you insinuating to Potter that there's something going on between me and Gr…anyone." He didn't want to say her name.

"Do you guys see how you're acting? I've never seen her like this, even with Ron. I'm not trying to get involved, but her friends should know what's going on." He finished.

"Going on? There's nothing going on. Mind your own business Longbottom." He said with a surly look as he got up and left the great hall. He was hoping to avoid this type of chit chat even last night, and in less than 24 hours he was already dealing with rumors. He had gotten along well with Neville since being a teacher, but now he had reached his limit.

Hermione watched as he left the great hall in a huff. She couldn't blame him, she was irritated too. She had lost her appetite and decided to go off to her class room and start her day early.

When she got to her classroom she had some extra time to spare so she began a reply to Harry when she heard a knock at the door. Neville entered with a sheepish smile on his face.

"Hi Hermione," he began. "I noticed you got a letter today, from Harry I'm assuming…" he tried to explain.

"Yeah, as a matter of fact I did," she thought his approach was odd.

"Last night I saw Malfoy going into your quarters and both of you have been spending a lot of time together. Harry had contacted me last night by fire and when we spoke I kind of mentioned what I had seen. After breakfast Malfoy approached me and I felt I owed you an explanation. I'm sorry Hermione."

"Neville, you?" She couldn't believe he could be the cause of the letter she had received. After all, her and Malfoy had been spending time together and that wouldn't have happened if the headmistress hadn't forced them to. She wanted to tell Neville right then and there, but knowing that he would take information right to her other friends made her think the better of it.

"I hope you're not too upset with me, but I can understand if you are." Neville's conscience was bothering him.

"I'm actually not upset Neville. I completely understand why all of this has caught you off guard. To be honest it's caught me off guard too. I have become friends with Malfoy, even though I never expected to be. I'm not sure how it even happened," she lied at the last part, knowing perfectly well. "Last night we met to talk about one of my Gryffindor students that received detention from him, that's why he was in my quarters." She replied.

"It's not like I need an explanation or anything…"

"No, you really don't, but I'm giving you one as my friend. Next time you're wondering about something, can you just ask me about it before talking to anyone else?"

"Sure Hermione, no problem. It's almost time for class, I'll see you at dinner." He said in a friendly tone as he left.

She made a deep sigh and put away the things she had to write her letter. She wasn't in the mood now. Students started filing in and she prepared to start her lesson.

In the evening if she hadn't gone to get Malfoy by a certain time he usually came to get her. He did his usual and walked in and waited against the wall. She hadn't heard or noticed him because of the noise in her own head that had been writing a reply to Harry all day. She put a stack of books away in a cupboard and when she turned around she was so startled that Malfoy was there that she jumped.

"My God you scared me!" she clutched her chest.

"Didn't you hear me come in? I wasn't trying to be quiet…"

"Do I look like I heard you?" she was exasperated, still coming down from being scared.

"No," he was looking at his fingernails. "Why don't you put this stuff away by magic, it will be much easier." He lifted some other things she needed put away and quickly put them away for her.

"I thought you were going to stop being nice," she asked him kind of severely.

"I'm not being nice to you, I'm hungry Granger, and I'm tired of waiting on you!" he said in a surly tone.

"Good, I'm ready to go." She said as they left through the door together.

"Make way for princess Granger," he muttered sarcastically as they walked through the hall.

When they sat down for dinner she saw Draco glaring over at Neville. Neville had caught his eye and looked away, and it reminded Hermione that she probably needed to talk to Draco about her conversation with him earlier. "Not at dinner," she thought. She didn't want to appear to talk to him too frequently and resolved from now on to say as little to him as possible when in front of other people so they didn't get the wrong idea like Neville had. She completely ignored him and made conversation with Hagrid about his classes.

The night patrol hadn't been a responsibility they had shared before because teachers routinely took it in pairs and rotated every few weeks. They were just starting their weekly rotation. After dinner they reported to the headmistress's office to get her directions.

As they went past the gargoyle and up the staircase to her office, Hermione misjudged a step and almost fell when Malfoy grabbed her arm and pulled her up. "Watch where you're walking, Granger," he said rudely as he stepped past her and into the office.

"Come on in and take a seat, I'll be with you both in a minute." Professor McGonigal's voice carried from another room.

They were both seated and waited when she came around and sat at her desk.

"First time at evening patrol…it's not difficult, just keeping watch for any students out of bed and maintaining a presence in the castle so we have an alert if needed. I only expect the teachers to patrol until eleven and then you are free to return to your quarters." She explained.

Both Hermione and Draco nodded and started to get up.

"Another thing while you both are here…it appears you are working together quite well. You're getting many compliments from the staff. Professor Malfoy, I heard of the circumstances surrounding Mr. Bone's punishment and feel it was very fitting. I heard that you communicated with Professor Granger so she could also have her own talk with him. I am glad to see you both took me seriously and have shown true professional behavior. That is all."

Hermione and Draco nodded again.

"Thanks professor," she added.

"Thank you," he echoed as they left the office.

Hermione was careful to watch her step better this time as they set off patrolling the castle with their wands lit.

"Sorry this morning was so awkward, I've been fuming all day." She whispered.

"Longbottom needs to learn how to mind his own business." He added.

"Well, yes, but he came to see me after breakfast,"

"And," he waited for the rest.

She told him about the interaction and how her and Draco really were hiding something and that would make some people naturally suspicious.

"You didn't tell him, did you?" he accused her, referring to the punishment McGonigal had set for them.

"No! We agreed not to!" She held her wand up to light up his face.

"So you'd rather your friends think we were…involved…than tell them the truth?"

"First of all, they should know me better than that," she replied as she lowered the light again.

Draco laughed, "Yes, even I know you better than that!"

"Plus, we made an agreement, and I plan to stick to it. You haven't told any of your friends, have you?" She hadn't heard him mention his friends, they normally didn't share personal info.

Draco sighed. "Nope."

"Good, what was that sigh about?" she asked, relieved.

"I didn't sigh Granger,"

"Yes you did! We have all night to patrol Malfoy, so I literally have all that time to bug you about it." She said in her favorite know it all voice that she knew irritated him.

"I came here to start my life over, and many of my old friends don't feel the way that I do. I don't keep in touch with anyone, once in a while my parents, but that's it. Are you happy now?" he felt vulnerable, and he didn't like showing her that side of him.

She had stopped walking and he saw her light slowing bobbing up to him in the dark.

"What?"

"…I didn't know…" she whispered softly.

"That I have no friends? Well you do now." He said with a grumpy tone.

She hesitated and then placed her hand on his shoulder, making him jump a little, he wasn't expecting her touch.

"I'm your friend," she said reassuringly as she lightly squeezed his shoulder and removed her hand. He started walking again and she kept pace with him.

He wanted to make a sarcastic comment but decided to keep it to himself for the time being. "So what about you and Weasley, didn't you have a thing for him?"

"I ask you one question and you start asking me about guys?" she looked at him skeptically.

"Um…"

"Joking, it's fine." It was her turn to sigh. "We had been friends for a long time and after the war we got together, but it didn't work out. He just wasn't a match for me."

"I could have told you that, you need someone who's uptight, like you," he laughed again.

"Hey!" She couldn't help it, she laughed too.

"What happened with Parkinson? Weren't you two a thing?"

"Why did you have to ask me about her?" he said, groaning.

"You asked about Ron, it's only fair…" she said in a smug voice.

"She didn't care for my…what did she call it…attitude change. She ended up breaking up with me to date Goyle."

"Seriously?" Hermione couldn't believe Malfoy's life had turned into an actual tragedy.

"No, I made it up." He lied sarcastically.

"That's terrible. Was it serious?"

"That's more questions than I asked you…"

Hermione took the hint and dropped the conversation.

When she didn't talk again he answered her question.

"Kind of, not like marriage or anything, but I liked her. She wouldn't fit into my current life, we didn't have the same views. Now let's talk about something else," he said as they started down another long corridor.

The time passed quickly and they had reached eleven before they knew it. They walked back to the common room and went their separate ways.

"Night," Hermione said as she reached her door and went inside.

"Evening," Draco returned as he stepped through his doorway and closed the door.


	7. Chapter 7

Ch. 7

In the morning, it was Hermione who happened to wake him up. She knocked on the door and he didn't answer, so she knocked louder. He opened the door and it was obvious he hadn't been out of bed yet that morning. "Malfoy, what are you doing? We have to leave!"

"I must have overslept, I'll be out in a minute."

When he got out they had missed breakfast and had 15 minutes until lessons started.

"I'm sorry we missed breakfast, but this way we avoided any letters from those friends of yours."

"You didn't do this on purpose, did you?"

"No, and it's a shame because I am hungry."

"Follow me," she said as she led him to a picture of a fruit bowl and tickled the pair. The portrait swung open. "We only have 10 minutes, grab something and let's go."

Several house elves came up to them and bowed and asked if there was anything they wanted. Hermione and Draco were able to get a few things in under a minute and headed out towards their classrooms.

"That was great Granger!" He said while eating a few bites of his food and walking briskly.

"Now we just have to talk to McGonigal," she said as they both sighed. Hermione knew that the headmistress would be understanding.

After classes were over for the day, Hermione went to find Draco in the potions classroom. She stepped before the doorway and noticed he was having a conversation with a student and remained in the hall. He was talking to a younger girl student that she had seen in her class and he seemed to have a friendly tone with her, he almost sounded encouraging if she could believe her own ears.

The student left and Hermione walked in to see Draco straightening up before leaving.

"We better not be late since we weren't at breakfast," she offered in a sing song voice.

"yeah, okay." He seemed distracted as he joined her at the door.

After a few seconds Hermione piped in again.

"You seem like something is on your mind. I won't push you to talk about it though." She was hoping to come off as supportive.

"Maybe later tonight," he replied. "And, thanks." He said the last part with hesitation but he sounded genuine.

As they sat down to dinner Professor McGonigal eyed them.

"You're going to tell her, I'm not," Hermione whispered over to him. "The sooner the better."

"Fine," he said in a surly tone as he got up and went over to the headmistress.

She had a sharp look on her face that lightened as he explained. She looked over at Hermione who pretended not to be looking and started examining her house table. She hadn't had many issues with her house since she had started, mostly thanks to the protective portraits that Malfoy had designed. She knew instantly if students were wandering, and she could be in the tower quicker than any one of her students could say quittich.

Malfoy came and sat back down and started to eat. She wanted to ask him for details but figured she would get plenty of time to do that during the evening patrol.

They patrolled in a backwards pattern from what they did the night before. Hermione had asked him what McGonigal's reaction was.

"she said she hoped I was being honest and that we weren't fighting again."

"She looked like she believed you though," Hermione added.

"How can you tell? I can never read her…"

"She was my head of house for six years, I got pretty good at knowing her reactions. When she believes you she will soften the look she has on her face."

"I've never seen her soften, I'm not sure it's possible." Malfoy added in a sarcastic tone.

"So, your student earlier, want to talk about it?" She wanted him to know he couldn't avoid the subject forever.

"I guess I better," he didn't know how to bring it up, so he just started. "She's the muggle born that had a run in with Bones."

"Does she have a name? We can't keep calling her 'the muggle born,'" She scoffed.

"Marie Chadwick," he returned quickly. "Sorry," he added reluctantly.

The name jogged her memory from class. "Yes, okay, continue" She pushed.

"Well…what he said has been really bugging her. She had been a very happy student, now she's barely turning in her work. I didn't seem to have that effect on you…"

She could tell he was still processing how to handle the situation with this student.

"No, because I didn't care what you thought me," she said matter of factly.

"Didn't? But you do now?" he caught her use of past tense.

She ignored him and continued as she felt her cheeks redden. "When I came to this school I never looked back, but I know other muggle born students that wondered if this was the right path for them."

"How could they, after possessing magic? How can someone make a decision like that?" He had a really hard time understanding how someone could abandon the magical world to be a muggle.

"When all you know is something different, being introduced to a whole world that you didn't know existed is kind of intimidating. If you're the only person in your family who knows about the wizarding world, then that makes it pretty lonely too." She was trying to help give him perspective.

"How did you deal with it then?" He asked in a soft tone, she hadn't expected his questions to get so personal.

She considered him for a moment and if he was going to make fun of her for what she was about to say and then decided to continue. "I made friends. It wasn't easy, most people don't like a know it all." She looked down for a moment and considered her next words. "Even when I did manage to be friends with Harry and Ron, I didn't always get along with them. We fought many times, and I would find myself alone again. I had to make friends from other houses, get involved in activities."

"Yeah, but you didn't have the stigma of being a Slytherin. Could you imagine being sorted into that house and being a muggle?" Hermione could see that Malfoy was really growing his capacity to have compassion for others and was surprised.

"No, I can't, but I don't see that it matters too much. The house doesn't define who she is, there are probably several notable traits about Slytherin that don't involve blood status, aren't there?" She questioned.

"Yes, there are. But even most members of her house are the same, she's not really fitting in, it's taking a toll on her." He sounded concerned.

"I would be willing to talk to her if you think it would help. I don't want to step outside of a boundary, but seeing as she's muggle born, maybe you wouldn't mind?" She offered.

He stopped, "You would do that Granger? She's not even your student?"

"But we're here for all the kids right, not just the ones in our houses? Isn't that what we fought for against Voldemort?"

He inhaled sharply and grabbed his arm, he didn't like to hear the name. "Granger, please don't." He began sweating and his voice was shaky. The name still instilled fear in him.

"Sorry," she waited for a moment and when he hadn't spoken, she lightly touched his arm.

"Draco, you're shaking!" She hadn't meant to use his first name.

Her closeness and using his first name was a little too much for him, even though it comforted him at the same time. He withdrew his arm from her touch and continued walking. He began to be bothered by the fact that he felt comforted by her touch and wondered why he would feel that way.

She hadn't started up a subject after his reaction, not wanting to push him to talk. It was nearly eleven anyhow.

When they got back to their quarters he curtly said goodnight and she watched as he entered his quarters and shut the door. Because of his reaction she was a little worried about him.

She went into her own room and tried to think of all the advice she could give a poor young muggle born slytherin.

She heard a light tap on her door in the morning and when she opened it Draco stood there, ready to go.

"Morning," she offered.

He nodded his head at her but didn't speak. He didn't want her to see his reaction last night, he was not in control of his emotions. He might have let her in more than he ever wanted to.

She didn't push him to talk the whole day, even during the night patrol they watched mostly in silence. She knew that he would be upset with himself, and there was nothing she was going to be able to say to make it better.

The next night at dinner he surprised Hermione and filled her drink again before filling his own. She glanced at him sheepishly.

"If I didn't know better, I'd say you were trying to lure me into a false sense of security," she half joked.

"I'm waiting for the right moment to hex you," he offered as he smirked at her.

She couldn't help but laugh at his joke and Hagrid looked over at her and raised his eyebrows slightly before returning to conversation with another professor.

After dinner they began their night patrols.

"Can I ask you something, about being a teacher?" She asked.

"No, I don't want the students who are complaining about you to say you got your pointers from me," he returned.

"Are you serious?" she stopped to look at him.

"Yeah, two essays the first week? You're pretty harsh Granger…"

"Harsh? What did you assign then?" she added sarcastically.

"Just brewing a few potions." He added like a know it all. "Things usually get more difficult as we progress. But assigning homework so soon, I'd be surprised if you weren't this year's most hated teacher…" he gave her a mock sad face.

She had been nervous about how the students saw her and reminded herself to take it easy when she could. Malfoy could sense this about her and had been trying to strike a nerve. She didn't retort but considered what he had said about balancing homework and school.

As they turned back to the common room, she finally started conversation.

"I'm going to Hogsmead this weekend, do you want to come?" She was hesitant to even ask, wondering what his snappy retort might be.

"Sure," he uttered.

"What, no sarcasm?" She tried to bring back his usual mood.

"Just don't take me to madame puddifoots…" he threw in.

Hermione scoffed, "I was thinking more like the shrieking shack!" she joked.

His spirits seemed to lift somewhat after that.

A few more days of classes and the weekend had finally arrived.

Hermione decided to sleep in and didn't want to get up when she heard a knock on her door. She stumbled out of bed and opened the door.

"Oh, Granger, you don't look so good."

"Thanks Malfoy, I'm still sleeping, it's been a long week."

"Did you want me to come back later?" he asked.

She thought for a moment

"No, I'm awake now. You can come in and I'll get ready."

"You're sure?" he asked, not sure if he should invade her personal space like that.

"Yeah, do you mind making some tea?"

"I suppose I can do that." He said as he headed into the kitchen.

She went into her room and threw herself together quickly. She wasn't going to dress like a teacher today, her first day out of the castle.

She put on a black knee length dress that was form fitting. She wore a bright scarf with it that added some color to her face. She kept her hair pulled back so that her appearance was more mature looking. She even sprayed on some light perfume.

When she came out of the room Draco was ready with some tea for them.

"Thanks," she said as she took her cup.

"Why are you dressed so nice? We're just going to Hogsmead, right?"

She didn't mean to but she blushed. "This is my first outing there this year. What did you expect me to wear, my robes?"

She could tell by his delayed response that this was exactly what he had expected.

"I am a woman Malfoy, we like to feel pretty once in a while…and I'm not fishing for any compliments, just stating facts."

That lined up with what he knew of women.

"Should I change?" He thought after her reply. He was planning on wearing his robes, but he did have some t-shirts he could wear.

"No, I want you to look like a stuffy professor, it will make us stand out as we walk around the village!" She was trying to be sarcastic but it came out as enthusiasm.

"I'll be right back," he said as he stood up and left.

A few minutes later he was back and in muggle clothes. His t-shirt was kind of tight and showed that he had defined arms and a defined upper body. He wore what looked like an ace bandage over his dark mark tattoo. His jeans suited him nicely too.

"You can stop staring, Granger." He said after he noticed Hermione wasn't looking at him like she usually did. She seemed to have lost the ability to look away.

"I'm not staring!" she yelled defensively.

"Whoa, I was just joking, but now I'm starting to think maybe you were staring." He was trying to get on her nerves.

Hermione sighed, "Just a little. You make a convincing muggle." She admitted.

Draco started laughing. "Nice one Granger." He wasn't aware that she was serious.

"When have you known me to joke about muggles?" she asked, half laughing at him.

He considered this for a moment. "I'm changing back," he said as she walked over to him.

"Nope, it's too late now, time to head out." She jumped ahead of him before he could open the door. She bent down and put on some pumps, he noticed that her figure looked good in her dress.

He let her lead the way out of the teachers quarters. He smelled something sweet that he couldn't put his finger on.

"What's that smell, do you smell it Granger?" he asked her.

"Does it smell like vanilla?" she asked.

"Yeah, I think that's it," he looked around to see where it could be coming from.

"Um…I'm wearing perfume today…" she didn't know whether to laugh or blush.

"I didn't know you wore perfume…" he said with a daft look on his face.

"Like I said, I want to feel pretty today."

He would have never said it, but he thought she was doing a reasonable job.


	8. Chapter 8

Ch. 8

They walked around Hogsmead for a few hours, going into the joke shop and stopping by the post office so she could mail a few letters she had written. The best part of the trip was their stop at the three broomsticks.

Draco had ordered two butter beers followed by two firewhiskeys. She hadn't tried firewhisky before and found out that she was a light weight. After their drinks they decided to head back. Hermione had trouble walking straight, and he realized that she might actually be drunk.

"Granger," he called to her.

"Hmmm," she responded, unlike herself.

"You really like my muggle clothes?" he was going to bait her and make fun of her later.

She didn't answer but just smiled.

"Is that a yes?" he pushed

"Yes Draco," she returned as she looked him up and down with a hungry look in her eyes. It gave him a strange feeling to see her look at him that way. To say his name that way…did he…like it? "What is this feeling?" he wondered.

"Better get you back to your quarters, I think you've had enough fun for today." He said in a distant voice.

"But the day has just started!" she said, disappointed.

"No, it's late afternoon, do you realize how long we've been here?"

"Nope," she shrugged her shoulders, not too concerned. Totally unlike herself.

He walked with her through the portrait and helped her inside her room. As she sat down on her couch she fell asleep with the fire going. He noticed she looked so peaceful.

He reached over and lightly touched her ankle and slipped her shoe off, and the repeated the same thing with her other shoe before placing them on the floor. He then went to get a blanket from her bedroom and covered her up. Her hair was partially in her face and he brushed it off her cheek a little bit before making a turn for the door and leaving.

The next morning was a Sunday and since it wasn't usual that they spent any time together on the weekend, neither woke the other one up.

After yesterday, Malfoy felt odd. Not sick, but something definitely wasn't right. He kept thinking about Hermione in the dress she wore and the look she gave him when they were leaving the village. He tried to make himself think about how much he disliked her, but it wasn't working. He resolved not to see her for the day.

Hermione woke up in the afternoon and realized she had fallen asleep in her outfit from yesterday. She didn't even remember how she fell asleep on the couch, or got to her room, or leaving the bar. "What the heck happened," she wondered.

She changed her clothes and got cleaned up and then planned to go to the library to do some research. When she left her room she looked over at Malfoy's door and considered knocking, but wanted to give him his space. He had already agreed to go to Hogsmead with her yesterday, which she definitely was not expecting. They even had fun.

She made it into the library and got the keys for the restricted section from Madame Pince. She glared at Hermione while handing her the keys. "Such a weird lady," Hermione thought.

After about 45 minutes of picking out books to read in the evening, she handed the key back and made it back to her quarters. She put all the books away except one, and went to sit by the common area fire. This way she might strike up conversations with other people.

She saw most of the teachers throughout the day as she sat there, she had drunken too much yesterday to be hungry today. She would greet them or strike up conversation and then continue on with her book. In the evening, most people left for the great hall, but she decided to stay behind and continue reading. After most people had left she heard a door lightly open and close. She didn't pay it any attention until it happened again and she hadn't seen anyone. She looked around, wondering what was going on.

She got out of her chair and sat against a wall, so that if someone was waiting for her to leave, she would be blocked from view. She heard the door open again and this time someone did appear around the corner and sat down by the common room fire.

"Malfoy?"

He jumped and turned towards her. "Granger, I thought you were gone."

"You've been avoiding me?" She said in a joking voice. He had a sheepish look on his face that told her that was exactly what he had been doing. "Oh, okay, I was done anyways," she said as she closed her book shut.

She felt awkward as she walked to her room and closed the door. She could be just as comfortable in here as she was out there, and it was almost time for a new book anyways.

She grabbed another book and had been reading for half an hour when she heard a soft knocking on her door. She pretended she didn't hear it at first until it got louder.

She opened her door just a crack to see Malfoy standing there. She raised her eyebrows at him as if to say "what?" He could infer her meaning.

"You didn't have to leave…" he began.

"I know," she returned.

"Want some company?" He asked in a soft voice.

She was surprised, she hadn't heard him use that tone before. "Sure, but I just plan on reading."

"Great, me too," he said as he lightly pushed on her door so he could enter.

She sat down on her couch with her blanket wrapped around her, the blanket he covered her up with the night before. He didn't know if she could remember anything from yesterday. He sat down on the opposite side of the couch and both of them read in silence for the next few hours while listening to the crackling fire. He could imagine spending many nights this way.

Hermione was happy for the company and the silence that allowed her to get through her reading. After a few hours, Malfoy stood up. "It's getting late, we've got early classes Granger."

"Yeah, I'll see you in the morning." She said as she closed her book and watched as he left. "I had a nice night," she thought.

In the morning she woke Malfoy up earlier than usual. In the early morning hours a list of areas in the castle to decorate for Halloween had been placed under her door. She wanted to plan out the decorations for the items on the list. She knocked several times before he finally answered.

"What is it?" he answered the door with a towel wrapped around his lower abdomen, exposing him from the waist up.

She looked at his chest and her suspicion about him having muscles was correct. His chest was very well defined and he had nice biceps to match. She lost her train of thought as she took the sight of him in.

"Well?" he asked impatiently.

"Um…" she tried to get on track and looked away from him. She handed him the list. "I got this under my door this morning and I have some ideas…" she still kept her eyes averted.

He noticed that Hermione had been definitely gawking at him, he knew he hadn't imagined it. "Granger, why are you acting so weird?" He wanted to give her a bad time, but he was enjoying the attention all the same.

"I'm not!" She half shouted and started blushing. She could feel the heat rising in her cheeks. "You're the one who's half…naked," she hissed the last word at him, embarrassed.

"Well you were nearly knocking my door down!" he pretended to be exasperated.

She caught the insincerity in his voice, placed her hand on his chest, and pushed him back inside his doorway and closed the door, leaving herself out in the hall. "That was weird," she thought. "Why did I keep staring?"

After he got done he came to the fire where she had been waiting for him in the common area. They both acted like nothing had happened.

He set the list down on the arm of her chair before he sat down on the couch.

She looked over at the list, refusing to look at him. "I thought we could add to these decorations a bit, you know, go big!"

The list gave them two weeks to complete the tasks so that the castle was ready for Halloween.

"Which ones did you want to start first?" He never let her pick first and was trying to be nice.

"You're letting me take the lead? Are you sure you're feeling okay?" She had to give him a bad time.

"Well if you're going to be that way, I take it back," he said playfully as he grabbed the list back from her.

She stood up and tried to grab it back but he kept holding it higher and higher, she was pressed against his chest trying to reach. The closeness made him freeze and she became aware of it too. She backed up a step and he handed the list over to her.

They again pretended that nothing had happened. "I say we do giant pumpkins in the great hall and then we have floating lights all over the castle, and..." she noticed a melancholy look on his face "too much?"

He hadn't been paying attention.

"Earth to Draco!" He looked at her with his eyebrows raised.

"What?" He liked when she said his name.

"You are so distracted? What's your problem?" She asked directly.

"Nothing..."

"It's fine if you don't want to talk about it, but at least pay attention." She said as she repeated her ideas.

"Sounds good to me, when are you going to do all this work?" He asked seriously.

She lowered the list and looked at him with a disappointed face.

"You're kidding," she said as she eyed him for any hint of a joke.

"Maybe I am and maybe I'm not..." he toyed with her emotions for a minute before admitting he was joking. "Come on, Granger. You know I have no choice."

She smiled and put the list away. "Time for breakfast, we better get going."

They walked down to the great hall and started their day.

After lessons were over, Draco sought out Hermione. Usually there was a bit of time that would lapse before they would see each other, due in part to finishing up after the school day, and also due to Mr. Bones detentions that were nearing their end.

She was in her classroom putting her things away when Draco knocked and then entered. "Hey Malfoy, you're early…" she stopped when she noticed he had a student with him. They may have been informal with one another the majority of the time, but it had been an unspoken rule that this didn't happen in front of students. "I apologize professor," she recovered, "what can I do for you?" She gave him a serious look and didn't wear the friendly expression she usually displayed.

"I wanted to introduce you to a student of mine, Ms. Chadwick." He began.

She knew her from lessons and remembered Draco had said she was a muggle born. "Good evening Ms. Chadwick," Hermione said as she nodded her head in the young Slytherin's direction. She waited for Malfoy to continue.

"Ms. Chadwick is in my potions class, as well as a member of Slytherin house, I've told her a lot about your story and wondered if you had a moment to talk," He pressed. He hadn't given her notice, so she assumed there was something urgent or concerning to him that had caused this sudden meeting.

"Absolutely," Hermione transfigured a few desks into three comfortable chairs and a tea tray, however, since transfiguration didn't work on food or drink, those things were missing from the tray. "Please, take a seat."

The quick transfiguration caught Malfoy off guard, he knew she was talented but this was exceptional magic to conjure up so quickly.

Ms. Chadwick started, "Is it true that you're muggle born?"

Hermione looked over at Draco and then back at Marie, smiling. "Yes."

"Me too." Marie said in a bummed out tone.

"If I didn't know any better, I would say you sounded sad about that…" Hermione pressed.

"It's just that, I don't know very much, and in Slytherin house most people don't like muggle borns." She added.

"I know what you mean…" Hermione sat back in her chair and exhaled.

Draco wondered if he should leave but knew he had to stay to support his student.

Marie looked up at her, surprised.

"When I came here I knew nothing about magic, the wizarding world, and on top of it all, I had no friends." Hermione didn't say any of this in a sad voice.

"But you're not sad? And you know tons now!"

"At first, I felt like I should probably leave the school and never come back because I was never going to fit in and never going to learn all the incredible things that people could do. Have you ever felt that way?"

The girl burst into tears, hearing someone lay out her insecurities was overwhelming.

Hermione leaned forward and handed her a tissue and patted her back. "There, there." She spoke softly as she continued. "Years ago, I had even tried to make friends with some kids in my year and it backfired, and after class I heard them talking about how I had no friends and they were making fun of me."

Draco gave Hermione an odd look as if to ask if that had really happened. He hadn't done that to her and wondered who had.

"But do you know what I did after that?"

"…what…" Marie said, her voice still sad but she had stopped crying.

"I went into the girls bathroom and cried my eyes out, of course!" Hermione took a breath, "and then, someone had set a troll loose in the dungeon and it came right for me in the bathroom. It destroyed the bathroom while it was trying to attack me!"

"Professor!" Malfoy interjected.

"I have a point!" she held up her hand to stop him. "This is a true story, cross my heart."

"Cross your heart?" Malfoy echoed.

"Oh, that might not be a term you're familiar with…muggle saying." Hermione added.

"Cross my heart, hope to die…" Marie recited the next part and looked at professor Malfoy to show she knew it.

Malfoy gave a disgusted look before he could regain his composure.

"Anyways, as I was saying, I was attacked by a fully grown mountain troll. And the same people that made fun of me earlier came to save me. I didn't realize it until when I was about to be crushed, that I did have two friends. It took me nearly being killed for them to show me that they were my friends, but sometimes you find friends in the most unlikely places. I made many of my friends outside my own house of Gryffindor. Even when I had gone to school several years, the girls in my dormitory still didn't like me."

"Really? And you stayed?" Marie couldn't believe her ears.

"Yeah, I decided I would give it all I could and threw myself into my lessons and vowed to show them all that I belonged here and I out preformed them at magic and out scored them on all my tests. Not to brag," she threw in at the end, putting on a humble face.

Marie just stared at her.

"I know it's not easy being a muggle born going to this school, let alone being in Slytherin house, no offense professor," she added the last bit for Malfoy. "You have to decide for yourself what you want, and not because of pressure or others expectations, but what you truly want for yourself. I'm always here if you would like to talk." She reassured her.

Marie had a sudden determination in her eyes that Hermione knew only too well. "Thank you for the talk. Professor Malfoy, may I be excused?"

Professor Malfoy answered first, "yes, can I check in with you after class tomorrow?"

"Sure," she shrugged as she walked out of the room.

Draco leaned forward in his chair when he was sure they were alone. He reached out and put his hand on Hermione's arm. "Hermione, that was brilliant!" Her arm went rigid as he slowly pulled his hand back. "Thank you. I hope this helps her, I can see she's been struggling more and more and today I decided it was time for her to talk with you."

"I'm happy to help," she stood up and transfigured her chair, Marie's chair, and the tea tray back into desks. Malfoy got up so she could return his seat as well.

"One thing I don't get, why did you lie to her? You said that you outperformed all the students in your year, but I think I got a higher potions grade than you did…"

"Only because you were the teacher's pet!" She threw back at him.

"That had nothing to do with it," he smiled as he led the way out of the room and into the great hall.


	9. Chapter 9

Ch. 9

In the evening they started their decorating for Halloween. They had fun and both of them had continued being relaxed around one another. Hermione stuck to her vision of big pumpkins in the great hall and Draco helped bring in the pumpkins and set them around the great hall.

She set a small pumpkin down where she wanted it, and turned to Draco. "Now, it's ready," she said as he cast the spell to make it grow. "Bigger…bigger…" she directed him.

He continued to aim at the pumpkin while he continued the spell.

"There!" she shouted.

The shout caused him to break contact with the spell and the pumpkin blew up. She was covered in gross orange muck from head to toe.

"Granger!" he said as he ran over next to her. "Let me help you," he took out his wand and tried to remove some of it, but it wasn't coming off easily.

Hermione was shocked at first, and then decided to get him back. As he was helping her, she aimed at a pumpkin and did a non-verbal spell, making a pumpkin so big that it exploded over both of them.

"Nice, really nice Granger," he said sarcastically as he slid his hand down his face and removed chunks, seeds and juice. She took a step toward him, laughing when she slipped on the floor and hit her head. She laid on the floor dazed for a moment. He had reached out but hadn't caught her in time.

"Granger, are you okay?" he asked as he reached out his hand for her. She put her hand in his but couldn't pull herself up, she was still really dizzy. She didn't seem like her usual self. "Hermione?" He tried to tug up on her hand, but their hands were covered in pumpkin and very slippery. He began to use his magic to clean them and the area as best he could and then did a spell that mopped up all the juice. The hall looked pretty good, but they still had remnants of dried pumpkin juice all over them.

Since Hermione wasn't able to get up and stand, he knelt down next to her and stood her up, holding her mid section to stabilize her and stood up again. "I think you might need to go to the hospital wing…" he tried to slowly release his grip to test if she could stand and she threw her arms around his neck, trying not to fall, when he put his hands back on her waist. He felt a little too close for comfort, but she was hurt, it couldn't be helped. Still, there was something he liked about the closeness.

"Give me just a minute Draco," she said in a weak voice as she let go of one of her arms around his neck. She felt the back of her head and then looked at her hand, she was bleeding.

"You're bleeding!" he held her wrist as they both looked at her bloody hand.

"I think I'm okay," she said in a voice not like herself.

He kept holding her and bent around to look at the back of her head, it had a gash and her hair was starting to get more blood in it. "She might even have a concussion," he thought. Just then Hermione laid her head down on his shoulder and put her hand back up on his neck.

He looked at her and noticed she hadn't closed her eyes or fallen asleep. She had a peaceful look in her eyes. He had to find a way to pick her up so he could get her to the hospital wing, most likely she wasn't going to be able to walk there. "Granger, I'm going to pick you up," he announced to her.

She looked up into his face and just looked at him serenely and blinked a few times.

"What?" he said as he looked down at her.

"I like this…" she said with a light smile as she lowered her head back down to his chest. His breath caught in his throat for minute as he considered the look in her eyes. He could feel her breathing changing into deeper longer breaths and knew he would have to get going.

He quickly turned and braced her back against his arm and put his other arm underneath her legs and lifted. She was relatively light and he realized how small she was. She was still looking up at him.

"Remember when you used to call me mud blood?" She asked sweetly.

He didn't want to have this conversation and wasn't sure why she would be bringing it up now.

"Filthy mud blood, wretched mud blood, friend of a blood traitor mud blood…" she listed

"Okay, yes, I remember!" he wanted her to stop. He was walking briskly.

"And now," she started laughing, "and now you're my friend, I guess the joke's on you…"

"Hermione, now's hardly a time for laughing!" he reproached her severely.

She waited a moment and laughed again. He looked at her with scared and angry eyes.

"Draco, she reached up a hand and rested it on his face, don't be worried," she whispered to him. Her touch comforted him again.

He made it through the corridor and into the hospital wing, Madame Pomfrey came running out.

"My dear, what happened," she looked Hermione over and noticed her hand on Professor Malfoy's face and the intent look in her eyes. "My, she's not well, is she?" Hermione's feelings for Draco Malfoy were well known when she was a student.

"She's bleeding, we were making pumpkins explode when she slipped and hit her head." He tried to explain, but realized how stupid it probably sounded.

Madame Pomfrey gave him a questionable look, then decided she believed him and softened her expression. "Good you brought her here right away, she has a concussion and a bad one by the looks of it. You're free to go if you would like."

He waited a moment before looking up at her. "I'd like to stay for a little bit if that's okay, just until she falls asleep. I'll keep out of the way."

She considered this for a moment too and then agreed. "Just keep your voice down and let her get her rest."

He sat next to Hermione as she laid in bed. She started to complain of pain in her body and he went to get Madame Pomfrey again. She gave her a few pills for pain. "This might be all she needs to fall asleep," she told Malfoy.

Hermione sat there in silence and then after a while when she had just drifted off he got up.

"Draco," Hermione reached out for him. Madame Pomfrey had just come back to check on Hermione and heard her utter his name.

"Must have hit her head really hard…" she remarked. As Draco glared at her she apologized. "Excuse me," she said as she left them alone again.

He hesitated but took her hand in his. "I'm still here," he tried to reassure her, but he hated seeing her that way. Hated that she brought up how terrible he used to be, and hated that he couldn't do anything to make her better. He started to feel awkward when he realized he liked the way her hand felt in his.

"Good," she sighed and she drifted off peacefully again. After a few minutes he picked up his hand from hers and left the hospital wing.

He paced up and down the corridor to the hospital wing and didn't feel remotely tired enough to go to his quarters and sleep. He decided he would notify the headmistress about Hermione's accident.

He walked to her office and as he did he whispered the password to make the stone gargoyle jump aside. He wound the spiral staircase and knocked on her door.

"Come in," she replied.

"Professor Malfoy, what do I owe the honor at this late hour?" It wasn't a rebuke, just surprise.

"Gran…Professor Granger was injured tonight when we were decorating. She slipped and hit her head and has a concussion. She's in the hospital wing now. She probably won't be well enough to give her lessons for a few days…"

"Draco, what did Poppy say when she saw her?"

"That she must have hit her head pretty hard," he replied.

"How did she act after the incident?" she pressed. He didn't want to speak to how she held onto him and how he held her.

"She wasn't steady, I had to carry her to the hospital wing." His eyes were getting the scared look in them again. He wanted to go back to make sure she was still asleep. He tried to tell himself how foolish that was.

The look on his face didn't escape the headmistress, but before she could ask him anything he asked to be excused.

"Certainly, thanks for the report." She curtly nodded at him.

He left the spiral stair case and was headed for his quarters when he passed the great hall. Just a half hour ago they were having fun in here. He went inside and picked up one of the small pumpkins when he got an idea. He couldn't sleep anyways, as long as he was up he might as well do some decorating. He lined up the pumpkins and finished growing them larger and larger until they were giant and behind the staff table. Then he went around the rest of the hall and made groups of candles and small pumpkins float around the hall. "When she sees this, she's going to love it," he thought.

He went back to the hospital wing and entered so quietly that Madame Pomfrey didn't even see him come in. She was sleeping peacefully. He knew he wasn't going to be able to sleep so he quietly took the seat next to her. He sat down and next thing he knew he was holding her hand again and it was morning, the sun's rays were beating down on his face.

He awoke and looked over at Hermione who was still fast asleep. He noticed he was holding her hand and instantly let go.

He didn't know what time it was, but knew he needed to get ready for his lessons for the day. He walked down to his quarters quickly for a change of clothes and to freshen up, and then headed out the door.

At the lessons he was a little distracted so he gave students the task of brewing potions from the book and was free to walk around to give minimal instruction as needed.

Some of the students were rowdy at having a lesson canceled for the day. He overheard a student talking as he passed by. "I hope she stays in the hospital wing for another week, then we can have more days free!"

Before he could think he turned around and faced the student with a dangerous look on his face. "Get out of my class!" He yelled at him. "Go to the headmistress, now!" he yelled as the student didn't move, but stared at him in disbelief. The student was shocked because in the two years that Professor Malfoy had been his potions teacher, he had never seen him yell, or heard of him kicking a student out of class.

After lessons were over for the day, he told Mr. Bones that his detentions were at an end and to watch his mouth from now on. Then he headed up to see Hermione in the hospital wing.

On his way, he ran into the headmistress. "Hi Professor," he said as he walked passed her.

"A word professor?" she asked.

He stopped and walked back and few paces to face her.

"I had a visit from a student today. Although what he said was disrespectful, I didn't see it necessary to send him to my office. Surely you could have just given him detention?"

Detention…he hadn't thought of that in the moment. "Yes professor," he agreed.

"Are you going to the hospital wing?" she asked him, seeing he was not interested in their conversation.

"Yes, headed there now."

"Good, I think she'll be released tomorrow morning, but she'll need someone to look after her. I was going to ask" she was trying to say when he cut her off.

"I'm free tomorrow," he offered before she could finish. It would be a weekend so lessons wouldn't need to be covered.

She gave him a deep stare and he saw her features soften as she patted him on the shoulder. "Thank you Draco." He made a mental note to tell Hermione that he finally saw what she was talking about as far as McGonigal softening.

He nodded and set out at a walk again to go visit.


	10. Chapter 10

Ch. 10

When he entered the hospital wing she was sitting up in her bed but hadn't eaten anything. She looked unhappy and like she was still in pain.

When he came around the corner she finally saw him and a smile played on her lips.

"Malfoy, what took you so long!" she tried to joke, but laughing hurt her head. "Ow." She said as she lightly placed her hand there.

He wasn't going to tell her to stop since her pain seemed to be doing that already. "I would have been here sooner if I didn't have to interview the next transfiguration teacher," he added.

Hermione started crying and Madame Pomfrey came over. "What's wrong Professor, she asked, eyeing Malfoy suspiciously. "I think it might be better if you give her some space Professor," she said turning to Malfoy.

"No, I want him to stay," she said to Madame Pomfrey. At this she left Hermione's bed side and they were alone again.

"That was a joke Granger…" he said in a gruff but kind way as he took a seat next to her bed. She put the back of her arm up to her face and wiped off her tears.

"Sorry, it's been a rough day. I had to drink skelegrow because I fractured my skull and I've been having a terrible memory all day. I missed lessons too, which means I'll have to double up on their homework for a few days or they'll be off track." She was trying to think of what else she missed.

"Just give yourself a break Granger, you're getting out tomorrow."

"I am? That's good though, I have so much to do!" She said, excited.

"But you're not cleared yet, McGonigal asked me to keep an eye on you this weekend and help you out."

"You're…you're going to do that? For me?" She wondered if he was joking and started to believe him when a punch line didn't come.

He didn't want to point out that she only made it to the hospital wing because he carried her there, and that he couldn't explain why but didn't really want to leave her all alone there. "Why do you sound so surprised?" he asked in a tone that showed he was a little offended. "Besides, are you going to eat? If you don't get your strength they might decide to keep you longer…" at his suggestion she started eating. She saw that he was watching her and tried to offer him some of her food.

"I ate before coming to see you," he lied. He hadn't eaten since dinner the previous night on account of his nerves. "I can visit the kitchens later," he thought.

That evening, he said goodbye, and after tickling the pear in the painting of the bowl of fruit, he went off to his quarters. He set down the food he got from the kitchens and after eating, he laid on his bed and was awoken by a knocking on his door.

The idea of getting to leave the hospital wing did a lot to lift her spirits. In the evening, she had overheard the headmistress talking to Madame Pomfrey. "After she's discharged tomorrow she'll be in the care of Professor Malfoy. He knows that if she has any issues he's to bring her straight back to see you."

"He's been acting so odd Minerva, you know, I think he might actually have feelings for her." Professor McGonigal must have given her an odd look because Madame Pomfrey defended herself. "Really! When he brought her in he was carrying her, and now to think of it, she had her hand on his face. And, that's not all. He asked to stay until she fell asleep and I watched him leave. But when I went to do rounds in the middle of the night, he was sitting in the chair next to her bedside, holding her hand and was fast asleep himself."

"Perhaps they've become friends Poppy?" McGonigal's tone was a little sharp, but it didn't phase the nurse.

"Even so, you know how the Granger girl hated the Malfoy boy, it's no secret." Hermione grew uncomfortable at hearing herself be gossiped about. She couldn't believe the things she said about Malfoy though.

"It's obvious that things are not as they've always been. Maturity perhaps? Anyways, with all you've said one thing is certain, he'll take good care of her." The headmistress finished and left the wing. Hermione had a hard time falling asleep that night thinking about what Madame Pomfrey had said.

When Hermione had woken up the next morning she felt much better. She knew she was going to be released so she got dressed in her regular clothes and approached the nurses' station to Madame Pomfrey's surprise.

"I'm feeling better, do you need anything from me before I leave?"

"Professor! It's still early!"

"Yeah, but I'm awake. I'll check back in if Professor Malfoy asks me to." She nodded at the nurse and left the wing, not giving her a chance to debate. She walked down the corridor and to the teachers quarters, where she went into her apartment first. She got cleaned up and seemed to do just fine despite her energy level being a little low. She made some tea and then brought the tray with her outside as she knocked on Malfoy's door.

He wasn't expecting her and was surprised to see her out of the hospital wing, let alone holding a tray of items at his front door.

"Granger? What are you doing here?"

"Can I come in? This is heavy…"

"Sure," he said as he moved over, grabbed the tray from her, and allowed her to enter. She had never been in Malfoy's apartment before and it looked very different from hers. Instead of a fire place it had a wood stove. The walls were white with a plush green carpet covering the floor and pictures on the walls. The pictures were of scenery in nature, and one picture in a frame was of his mother and father. It was simple, like hers, but with a completely different feel to it. It smelled faintly of fresh pine and evergreen, but Draco sometimes smelled like that too, she didn't know what it was from but liked it all the same. He had more furniture than she had. He took the tray and set it down on a table in his front room while she examined the books on his two shelves.

He stood and watched her take in his place, having been at hers many times.

"May I?" she pointed at a book on his shelf.

"Help yourself," he moved over to throw some wood in the wood stove.

She picked up a few books and then sat down on his couch with him.

"Are you hungry or anything?" He asked her.

"Kind of, did you want to go to the kitchens with me?" she asked.

"I did last night, I have some things if you'd rather not get out much today. It's up to you." He offered.

"Well you're obviously exhausted Draco," she said, taking in his appearance. "I'll make us something to eat," she was appreciative of how kind and thoughtful he had been towards her. He kept showing her that he wasn't the boy she knew so many years ago.

He wasn't going to argue with her and stood up and went into the kitchen and came out with a plate that had two muffins on it and an orange. He set it down on the tea tray and poured a cup of tea. Hermione got up to pour one when he handed her the one he just poured. "Thanks." She uttered, surprised, as she sat back down. He didn't seem to do that to irritate her as he had done in the past.

She sat on his couch to read one of the books he had on his shelf for a few hours and then drifted off to sleep. Draco had sat next to her and after she fell asleep he debated leaving the room, but decided to lightly cover her up instead. After he did, Hermione turned a little and pulled the blanket close to her. She was already asleep and his familiar scent relaxed her.

After a few minutes of her being asleep Draco had drifted off to sleep as well and in her sleep Hermione had found her way closer to him. When she woke up she was curled up next to him sleeping with her head on his chest and his arm around her back. She could hear Draco breathing, clearly exhausted.

Although her first instinct was to move, she didn't want to wake him up. She realized that she was comfortable and enjoyed how laying next to him felt. His deep breaths relaxed her and she fell asleep all over again.

Draco woke up and felt Hermione in his arms and her head on his chest and wanted to roll off the couch. But she was peaceful and finally getting some rest, and oddly enough, he was getting rest too. He wondered how long they had laid together falling asleep. After a few minutes of laying there he wanted to start moving, so he gently shook Hermione's shoulder. "Granger," he said a little loudly as he began to feel awkward again. "Get up," he continued to lightly shake her shoulder until she woke up.

She sat up and rubbed her eyes and then looked at him. "Sorry, I…I don't know what happened…"

"Me either," he returned.

"I was comfortable though," she added, anticipating that he might think it was weird.

"Yeah, you seemed relaxed." He added to the awkward silence.

"And you?" she asked.

"What?"

"You seemed relaxed too," she didn't wait for him to respond "look what time it is! It's about three o'clock!" She couldn't believe that they had slept for several hours.

"I guess I was…" he didn't want to think that their closeness might mean something more. They were just getting used to being friends.

He wanted to do something to break the silence so he got up to cook something and brought it out to Hermione.

"Did you actually cook this? I didn't know you could cook!" She said in disbelief.

"Of course I can cook, how do you think I've survived this long in life Granger?" his sarcasm had returned. She smiled.

"I thought you would have a servant cook for you, or a house elf…" she said seriously.

"I had Dobby up until my second year of Hogwarts. It wasn't until later when I learned to do these things myself that I saw how much work it could be and truly appreciated him. Weren't you friends with him? Whatever happened to him?"

Hermione remembered what had happened to Dobby as they left Malfoy manner. She thought of her final moments with him and a tear rolled down her cheek.

"I should have known better than to ask," he thought. The last time he saw Dobby was when Hermione was being tortured at his house.

"He was killed by the knife that Bellatrix threw when he apparated. After we got out…he…he…didn't make it." Tears were pouring down a little more than before.

He wanted to do something to comfort her but didn't know what. She put her head in her hands and her hair acted like a curtain and blocked her face, her shoulders were lightly shaking.

He patted her back a few times and then extended his arm across her back. He pulled her shoulder into him and brought her into a hug. She was tense at first and then relaxed as she hugged him back.

"I'm sorry Hermione," he said with a cracked voice. "For everything. I wish I had done more to stop them."

They didn't break the hug for quite a while and when they did, Hermione had calmed down a bit. To distract herself she grabbed another one of his books and started reading. Then she stopped and looked over at Malfoy when she noticed he had a pensive look on his face.

She handed him a book to hold in his other hand and resumed sitting next to him with room between them on the couch. He gave Hermione a light smile and read with her.

As evening approached, Draco asked Hermione what she wanted to do. He hadn't worked out any arrangements for the evening. When she replied that she didn't know because he was supposed to be taking care of her, he considered a plan.

"I'm going to clean up here and then we can go over to your place. I'll take the couch if that's okay and that way I'll be there if you need me for anything."

Hermione nodded and then went back over to her place. She got the fire going since her place had been really cold. She put a blanket on the couch for Draco.

When he came over he was cleaned up a little bit and had pajamas on, Hermione also put on some flannel pajamas.

"I'm not tired at all, we've had a very inactive day!" she complained as he asked her to get some sleep.

"And that's exactly what you need to get better. If I hadn't been with you today I already know what you'd be doing, and it wouldn't be relaxing."

"What would I be doing then?" she tested him.

"I don't know, maybe re-planning your lessons that are already planned out for the year, doing copious amounts of research, practicing spells and maybe decorating…" He listed off.

"All of those sound so good. You're right." Maybe he did know her better than she thought he did.

"I know I am. Do you doubt that I know you pretty well?" He asked her skeptically

"Hmmm, I wonder if you know as much as you think you do?" He gave her a weird look. "I'll ask you one question about me and you ask me a question about you, then we'll see who answers better." She said as he rolled his eyes; it sounded like fun to Hermione. "I'll go first," she started. "What's my patronus?"

"easy, an otter,"

"Now you go," she pressed.

It took him a moment to think of a question. "What's my favorite potion to brew?"

"Hey, mine was easy! No fair!"

"You didn't make any rules against the type of questions," he pointed out.

"Okay, let's see, draught of living death?" She guessed.

"Right!" he said.

"Really? I got it?"

"No, not even close," he said as they both laughed. "Veritaserum, it's complicated to make and you have to take your time to get it just right. I like the effect of using the potion to get the truth."

There were so many questions she had about his answer but she didn't want to push him. After torturing people for the truth she could see that the veritaserum would be a way to avoid torture, or expose death eaters who pretended to be under the imperious curse while they did Voldemort's bidding.

After they asked a few more questions Draco let Hermione know that he was going to bed and laid down on the couch. She went into her room for a few minutes but couldn't get comfortable. She walked back and forth to the kitchenette a few times before Draco called out to her.

"I thought you were supposed to be resting and laying down Hermione," he used her first name more intentionally as he spoke firmly. She walked over to where he laid down.

"I just can't get very comfortable," she said as she stared down at him.

They were so comfortable earlier when they had fallen asleep together, he wanted to suggest trying that again when he thought the better of it. What if she thought he was a creep and then didn't even want to be his friend? "I'll make you a potion," he suggested while he went and got his things and brought them into her place. Hermione sat next to him as he added the ingredients just so and made her a sleeping draught. She had to hand it to him, he was an exquisite potions master.

When he was done he poured some of the potion into a glass and handed it to Hermione. She gratefully took the cup from him and drank the contents down. Within a few minutes she began to yawn and get sleepy and he asked her if she could stand to walk to the bedroom or if she needed help.

She felt she could walk fine but asked for his help anyways. He held out his arm and she took it as he walked her to her doorway of her bedroom. She imagined that after she was well, this polite Draco would probably disappear. Was it her, or was she enjoying his company a lot more than usual?

"Draco," she said as she stifled another yawn. "I appreciate everything you're doing for me." She looked down instead of at him. "I know there's probably other things you needed to get done, so thank you." She finished as she shut her bedroom door, not giving him a chance to answer. He was going to say she could have avoided the whole thing by being more careful, but didn't want to make her mad just before bed.


	11. Chapter 11

Ch. 11

The next morning he woke up and knocked on Hermione's bedroom door. A week ago the thought that he would stay the night at her place was not existent, and now he couldn't believe he had. He knew that with the type of injury she sustained it wasn't a good idea for her to spend the first night out of the hospital wing alone.

This morning was a holiday for the school so no classes were actually in session. If there were classes, he didn't think she would be ready to go back and teach. He didn't want to fight with her so soon after she was released and had been careful not to push any of her buttons like he usually did.

Hermione, to his surprise came out fully dressed with her hair done.

"Going somewhere?" he asked skeptically.

"Other than breakfast?" she returned. "Yeah, I have a few things I need to do today…"

She was aware that Malfoy would need to approve because she was released to his care, but she didn't want to feel like she was beholden to him.

"Such as?" he could guess.

"I do have research to do in the library, and we didn't finish decorating, and I need to make some catch up plans for my classes…" she said in her know it all voice.

"Nope, not happening," he said in a sweet tone that made her think she could convince him otherwise. He had been expecting this.

"I feel just fine," she played off his objection and continued to get ready.

He stood back from her to give her the impression that she could leave if she wanted to. "You feel fine because that's an effect of the draught you took last night. If you push yourself you'll wind up back in the hospital wing." He tried to explain.

"Malfoy, seriously, I feel fine," she said in a final tone.

"Let's see how you feel after breakfast," he suggested and she agreed. She would just need to make it through eating and they could get started.

They walked to the great hall and Hermione continued on about how well she felt. Draco just smiled in a calculating way and she didn't want to hear what was on his mind.

When she walked into the great hall she noticed all the decorating they were supposed to do had been completed. She stopped in the doorway and looked around the hall, her eyes wide because of all the beauty. "Did you finish this?" she asked as students squished past her through the doorway. She looked over at Draco and waited for his answer. He just stood and smirked, taking in the smile and shock on her face.

"Do you like it?" he asked. "I'm not sure the pumpkins are as big as you wanted, but I also didn't want to make any more of them explode," he added sarcastically.

"Draco," she reached out to hug him. "I love it, thank you!" He patted her back and stepped back so she would release him. He liked the hug, but not the attention they would get for having had it. Normally he would have asked her to consider where she was, but it wasn't her fault, he knew she wasn't well at the moment.

They ate and she realized she did have some pain when she chewed but expected that to leave her in time. He saw her make a few pained faces while she ate. After she got done eating Draco leaned in.

"Still insist on not following directions Granger?" he questioned.

"I told you, I'm fine!" she said in an irritated tone.

"Good, I was hoping you would say that." He waived at Madame Pomfrey who was looking their direction. Hermione shot him a glare, wondering what he was going to say. "It's pretty simple. If you insist on being strong willed about this," he paused and took a moment to scrutinize her defiant eyes, "then you can go back to the hospital wing with our friend over there," he added matter of factly.

She wondered if it was possible to like someone and hate them at the same moment. She wanted to yell at him but knew that wouldn't bode well either.

"If you get enough rest today you should be good to go to lessons tomorrow." He offered to entice her. It had the opposite effect.

"Maybe I should just go back to the hospital wing if you're just going to be controlling…I bet you're getting some kind of satisfaction out of all of this, aren't you?" She whispered to him. She didn't really mean what she said, her anger had taken over and irritation about her injury.

His face fell, he had spent the day with her yesterday just baby sitting her to make sure she was safe, and she just threw it all in his face.

"On second thought," he said in a cold whisper, "maybe I was too generous in checking you out early. Like you said last night, there were plenty of other things I could have been doing." She had crossed a boundary and hit a nerve.

She regretted her words, and his words made sense to her. "Look," she sighed as she tried to think of how to answer him. "I do know you had other things to do Draco. When I think about how much you're helping me I do appreciate it and I know that spending this much time with me can't be very much fun for you." She said, depressed as she pushed her food away and made a dejected face.

To make matters worse he didn't reply to what she said, feeling guilty of his own words and worried he would just add to the misunderstanding if he tried to set her straight.

He stood up and she walked beside him silently as she went back to her place. Draco came in with her and made up the couch. "I think you can sleep without me here tonight," he wanted to give her space and just check on her intermittently throughout the day because she was irritated with him.

She walked over to the sleeping draught that he had left on the counter and drank down a cup full. Then, she refilled it and drank that down as well.

"Granger, what do you think you're doing?" he asked as she filled up the cup a third time.

"Letting you have your space," she replied as she held the cup up to her lips, he put his hand on her arm to block her from drinking it.

"That potion is strong and I wouldn't recommend drinking more than the two cups you already did." He didn't realize the idea of him leaving would effect her so much.

She continued to lift the cup despite his attempts to block her.

"I'll stay, that's what you want?" He said, trying to guess so she would stop the behavior.

"Don't you have plenty of other things to do?" she asked, clearly hurt and her eyes filling with tears.

"I lied, okay! I just wanted you to listen, I don't want you to get hurt again," he tried to find the words and was feeling some desperation.

Suddenly, his actions made sense to Hermione and even though she didn't agree with him, she could actually see that he cared for her. She began to lower the glass and as she did she brought her other hand up to cover a slight yawn. He rested his hand on her arm and ran it down the length of her arm as he reached for her hand and took the cup. He had a concerned look on his face.

"You're my only friend, remember," he tried to offer. "I'll help you go lay down…" he said as he held out his arm.

Hermione did it quickly, she stood on her tip toes and kissed him on the cheek before taking his arm to be lead to her bedroom doorway. He heard her snoring as he made up the couch for himself.

The next day lessons went well and she was starting to feel better day after day. She was getting ready for the Halloween party that all the heads of house were planning to chaperone. After dinner McGonigal called the heads of houses together to discuss preparations the evening before the event.

"There will be a celebration similar to what we've seen in previous years; a dance, live music, and some goodies and punch for the students. I'd like each of the heads of houses to be there keeping an eye on the students to ensure this event goes as planned."

Each of them nodded and the meeting broke.

Draco walked her back to her place and saw her inside. He planned to go sleep back at his place two nights ago, but when he started to pick up Hermione would act like she didn't want him to leave. He felt torn and a little awkward.

He sat down on the couch and straightened his pillows and blankets up. "I'm going to have to sleep back at my place eventually, and you seem like you're doing better," he tried to get the conversation rolling.

She sat down next to him and handed him a cup of tea. "It's true, I am feeling better." She hesitated before sharing the next part. "For some reason, I feel better having you near." He gave her an odd look, "I know that sounds weird," she finished. She couldn't explain what about him made her feel that way.

"I'm just across the hall." He tried to down play her concern or he'd never go back. He had to keep reminding himself that they were friends and not to do things he shouldn't do or say around her because he cared about her feelings. It was exhausting. "Really Granger." He said in a tone that was meant to make her feel ridiculous. "I'm going back over tonight." He had been sleeping lite wondering if she was going to wake up and she never did.

"You're right. You need to be rested for tomorrow. I've heard the Slytherin students like to party, so you could be busy tomorrow." She returned, laughing.

"Laugh it up Granger, because I have a feeling there will be at least one house that's more of a challenge than mine, and that's your own." He teased her.

"Oh you think so?" She raised her eyebrows.

"Think? No, it's a fact. Do you want to put a wager on it? To make things more interesting?" He pushed.

"What are the terms?" she asked haughtily.

"If I win, you grade my papers for a week, if you win, I grade yours for a week…" he offered.

"But I like grading my papers," she frowned.

"But you're going to lose, so you'll get double," he reminded her.

She couldn't take him disrespecting her house any longer and decided to take the bet. If she didn't take it, then he would insinuate that she didn't have any faith in her own house, and she wasn't going to tolerate that. "You're on," she replied as he got up.

"You're the one who better get your sleep. Like you said, long day tomorrow." He wore a smirk as he got up, imagining having no homework to grade for the next week.

The next day Hermione made an announcement to her house table that she was excited for them to be at the dance that evening but expected all of them to be on their best behavior. She stated that any students who were not following the rules would be removed from the party. She didn't want to give Malfoy her homework for the week, but also didn't want to lose the bet.

He eyed her skeptically as they walked back from lunch and to her quarters.

"What?" She asked him when she looked back at him and he didn't speak.

"I just think it's funny…" he trailed off.

She raised her eyebrows at him. "What is?"

He snickered. "You just proved me right about your house…out of all the students going, none of their heads of houses singled them out to have that kind of speech, especially not in front of the whole school," he returned.

It dawned on Hermione that he was right and she felt bad having singled out her house like that. She decided to change the subject.

"What are you planning to wear to the party tonight?" She asked him.

He noticed she changed the subject and left it alone, although it did make him smile. "Probably just dress robes, you?"

"Not dress robes, but still something nice," she said as they reached her door. They went their separate ways and Hermione started getting ready. She took a shower and curled her long hair so that the loose curls hung down, and even put on make-up. She put on a few sprays of the vanilla perfume she liked and put on a dress that was floor length and elegant but still showed off her curves. It was charcoal gray with sparkles so it would blend in well with the black robes most people might be wearing.

She didn't wait for Malfoy to meet her for the party and went to the great hall to watch as the students filed in. Many of the students didn't recognize who she was until she spoke to them.

"Professor! Is that you?" Travis Bones asked her when he arrived.

"Yes, Mr. Bones, move along," she instructed with a warm smile.

She waited for Draco and secretly hoped he would comment on her dress. She shook her head for a moment, "since when do I care what he thinks?" she asked herself. Her emotions were confusing her lately.

When Neville came into the hall he also did a double take at Hermione. "Wow, you look great Hermione," he had to leave quickly because one of his students was already breaking the rules. She was happy to see that so far all hers were behaving.

"Thanks!" she shouted after him.

She walked up a few steps closer to the party, she realized she was just waiting on Draco and was tired of waiting. She scanned the crowd and didn't see him anywhere. Then someone coughed from behind her and she turned around.

Draco was in his dress robes, as promised, which were emerald green and set off his greyish eyes. He took her in and looked at her like he hadn't seen her properly before. His eyes were wide and he had something she hadn't seen in his eyes before. Was it desire? She searched his eyes while he took her in and reveled in the expression he gave her. She smiled warmly at him and started to feel heat raise to her face.

With her cheeks glowing pink he though she looked even more beautiful. "You're radiant," he said in a soft whisper as he lifted his arm without thinking, leading her closer to the party.

She took his arm and they stood watching the students, until Malfoy broke away. "Excuse me for a moment," he said to her after they had been standing together for several minutes. She was enjoying the music and the general scene and sung along to most of the music.

As the evening went on she only spoke to Malfoy one other time, but she noticed him watching her from across the room and pretended not to notice. She liked the attention from him and she was having trouble understanding why. They had just become friends, it didn't make sense to her.

As the evening grew on, the number of students in the great hall shrunk and shrunk until there were a few students left and it became pretty late. There were also a few teachers present, but no more than twelve people total were left in the great hall. Malfoy had to kick out one Slytherin student while she hadn't had to reprimand any Gryffindor students; a new record.

Once things quieted down, Malfoy came over to Hermione. He had been debating asking her to dance all evening and decided that he was at risk of the party ending without even dancing with her once. He loved how her gown framed her body, she was breathtaking.

He squared up the space between them and leaned in. "May I have this dance," he asked politely as he held out his hand. She smiled and took it and he lead her out onto the floor. Once there, he positioned her hand in his for the slow dance that had just started, and put his hand firmly on the small of her back. She tensed for a moment, not expecting to feel his hand so low, but she liked it, it made her feel feminine.

He felt her tense and whispered in her ear. "Is this okay Granger?" his voice sounding uncertain.

She locked eyes with him and nodded her head while slightly smiling. She was enjoying being so close to him. He was also a good dancer and she hadn't been expecting that.

"Where did you learn how to dance so well?" she asked him.

"I don't know if I would say I dance well," he sounded humble for the first time in her acquaintance. "I learned from my mother," he returned. He was blushing but where they were dancing was a little darker for Hermione to notice.

They danced the next few songs that continued to be slow and Draco led her with grace around the hall. She was having an amazing time when the band stopped and it was over. They both stood there for a moment, still holding on to one another and she locked eyes with him again.

"…Draco…" she began to say something when he cut her off.

"Oh, sorry," he let go of her hand and her back and she felt alone even though he was standing right next to her.

"That was…nice," she whispered, feeling swept off her feet.

He didn't reply but looked around and noticed that everyone else had left and they were alone.

"We're the last ones?" He couldn't believe he hadn't noticed. He had been too busy taking in Hermione to see anything else. She could see now that he was blushing.

His blushing made her blush as well. "I guess we better head back," he added as he walked beside her. She stood frozen to the spot. "Almost forgot," he said as he held up his arm for her again.

She smiled and took it as they walked back to the portrait hole. When they were in front of her door she invited him in.

"I'm going to change and I'll come back," he replied as he lowered his arm and went into his quarters. Likewise, she went in and traded her dress for a comfortable set of pajamas that were also eye catching. She debated changing them many times but then decided to stick with them. She kept her hair and make up the same.

Draco knocked and she let him in and he was taken aback by her for the second time that evening. Her pajamas were a light pink lacey tank top and short bottoms that showed her whole outline. He took in her body as his breath caught in his chest. He was beyond blushing.

He was wearing his pajamas and particularly the muggle shirt that he knew she liked so much.

Hermione moved into the kitchen and put on some tea for them and brought it out after a minute. He was sitting on the couch reading a book when she sat the tray down. She scooted so close that she was right next to him and she intentionally laid her head down on his chest. She held her book open and started reading when he put his arm around her. She looked up at him to see the look on his face, it was still pensive but much more relaxed. She gave him a small half smile as he looked down at her with an unreadable expression. Being close to him made her feel comfortable.

In a short while they both became tired. She got up to put the tea away as he repositioned on the couch. When she came back into the room, he scooted over to make room for her to lay next to him and looked over at her, inviting her without verbalizing it. She half smiled and laid down next to him and snuggled up with her head on his chest. She looked up at him, unsure of what this new found comfort meant for their friendship. As she looked up he put one arm around her, and with his other hand he moved her bangs out of her face and ran his hand through her hair. She exhaled deeply and within minutes, they both were asleep.


	12. Chapter 12

Ch. 12

A few weeks after Halloween they both came to realize that this new found closeness didn't make them anything more than friends. It was an unspoken understanding between the two of them that this didn't change things, it just brought them both comfort and the closeness was an added thing in their friendship. In the weeks that followed they continued to get close and snuggle in the evenings while reading or grading papers. They hadn't shared another night together since the dance.

Hermione was fully recovered from her injury a few weeks ago. She had just had a particularly long day of teaching and after lessons went to get Draco. When she was walking down to the dungeons she quickly rounded a corner and knocked right into Malfoy when he caught her arm to stop her from falling.

"You've only been out of the hospital wing for a little while and you're already trying to get back in?" he said sarcastically.

"You came charging around that corner," she was pulled up and he held her hand for a moment, something that didn't feel awkward after the closeness they had lately.

They walked holding hands for a few steps before Draco let her hand fall. "You need to be more careful Granger," his voice was quiet but serious. He didn't want to see her get hurt like she had the first time.

She didn't answer his comment and they walked to the great hall in silence.

At dinner they barely spoke to one another but they did engage in friendly conversation with their colleagues. Hermione looked at Draco when she was done to signal that she was ready to go and he stood up and she followed his lead.

There wasn't one staff member that didn't notice their pattern of coming to meals and leaving together and all the time they were spending together. They never saw one without the other unless they were teaching their lessons.

On the way back to Hermione's apartment, Draco opened the door for her. She passed him and made some tea while he started the fire. They had worked out an evening routine.

After Hermione came in with the tea, Draco would sit down with papers to grade and Hermione would sit down next to him and snuggle while she graded the papers for her class. When they were done grading papers together, they would go their separate ways for the evening.

After the first night of sleeping next to one another, both had slept much better than alone. In the nights that followed they had gone back to sleeping alone and hadn't talked about that evening since.

"This might sound odd," she tried to talk fast and not look at him in the eyes. "I know we're just friends and that being close to you doesn't change or alter that…" She glanced quickly in his direction, his posture was stiff and she had his attention. "Maybe after everything we've been through, with the war, this is something we both kind of need. Can't that be all this is, what's wrong with that?"

They were both trying to talk themselves into thinking that they had nothing more than a friendship, and what Hermione said made sense.

"As long as we continue not to broadcast…this…" he referenced their arrangement, "I don't want rumors like what happened with Longbottom."

"I couldn't agree more. It should only happen when we're in our rooms so we can have privacy and not have to explain to prying eyes."

"Agreed," Draco sighed as his posture relaxed again.

"Me too," Hermione said as she scooted closer to him, which had become the norm. He reached his arm out to put around her before she could rest her head on his chest. "Draco," she whispered as she looked up into his eyes.

"hmm?"

"I slept so well when we fell asleep together…the night of the dance…" She decided to finally bring up the topic they were both avoiding.

He paused for a few minutes, not sure what to say. "Yeah, me too."

"I can only sleep a few hours at a time before waking up. Sometimes I think that I'm back on the run, or remember something horrible, and it keeps me up. Do you ever have that happen?"

He hadn't shared his thoughts or feelings about those times with anyone, but he knew what Hermione was talking about.

"I know the feeling. I tried taking a sleeping potion but that only kept me from waking up and didn't work out well. I didn't know that was happening to you."

"I was going to ask about a sleeping potion," she mentioned. "But, when I fell asleep with you I didn't feel that way. I can actually rest because I know…" she stopped and laid her head down for a moment.

"Know what?" he pressed.

"…I know that you're here, and that you wouldn't let anything happen to me." She continued to look down.

He was surprised that she felt that way, he was thinking that some of her dreams might even have him in them from his death eater days. He felt guilty thinking about that.

He pulled her into him a little closer and laid his head on top of hers.

He didn't answer. His guilt hadn't ebbed away and he wasn't sure if their closeness might lead to feelings later on. "You don't make any sense to me Granger," his thoughts had pulled him from their quiet moment and his guilt led him back to this memories. "I don't understand how I could possibly make you feel secure when I was present when you were…having the cruciatius curse used on you." He didn't want to say 'tortured' even though that's exactly what it was.

She didn't flinch when he mentioned what had happened, instead she answered calmly. "I never saw you as responsible for that. As much pain as I was in, and as much as you hated me, your face was pained when I looked up at you." She tried to explain.

"The way you looked at me when that was happening, I wanted to do something, I didn't want you to die. You have no idea, or maybe you do, just how close you were to death. If I had tried to intervene at all, she would have killed you." He said as he shivered. "They all often killed for fun, but would draw out the torture as long as possible for their amusement." Draco said in a low and disgusted voice while Hermione shuddered. He usually kept these details to himself but had gotten lost in the moment. "Sorry Hermione," He rubbed her shoulder to try to comfort her.

"I need you to stay tonight," she whispered, her face had gone pale.

"Okay," he reassured her but also felt relief.

He lifted his head up and kept his arm around her. With the other hand he lifted up her chin so she could look him in the eyes. He searched her sad eyes for a second and then lowered his hand. As her chin dropped again he wrapped both arms around her. She took his words and gesture as assenting to her request.

After a short while Hermione got up and started getting ready for the evening. Malfoy got up and walked to the door to get his things for the evening. When he came back, Hermione hadn't laid blankets on the couch, he waited for a few minutes sitting down, warming his hands by the fire while he waited for Hermione.

She came out from her room and stood in the doorway. "Ready?" she asked.

Draco had already been waiting but she still didn't have the blankets. "I've been waiting…" he pointed out so that she could see how unnecessary that question was.

"I was hoping we could be more comfortable, I've made up the bed…" she twisted her hands, wondering what his reaction would be. It didn't make sense to her that they would sleep on the couch when they both had beds.

"You mean…in your…in the bed?" He was stunned. When she nodded hesitantly and slowly, he flatly refused. "No Granger, we can't." He felt like this was a little too much.

"It's more comfortable than the couch! What does it matter if we will be doing the same thing in both places? It's not like we're…involved, Draco." He was trying to think of a comeback as she turned around and went into the bedroom. He hadn't been in there before and had always drawn an imaginary barrier across the doorway.

He sat down on the couch to think. He knew he cared about her and she had shown signs that she liked him too, but as far as he could tell she liked him as a friend, exactly how he liked her, he told himself. He knew what she said made sense but this felt like something he wouldn't be able to come back from. Even if there was no coming back, he had come to depend on her friendship and enjoyed the time he spent with her. If they could help one another to sleep they might both benefit, and she was right, they weren't involved.

He slowly got up and crossed the barrier to her bedroom. It smelled like the vanilla perfume she wore and Hermione was sitting up in her bed with a lamp on reading a book. He took a second to take it all in before talking to her.

"Geez, do you ever stop reading Granger?" his voice was nearly all sarcasm.

She jumped a little "I hadn't seen you come in," she whispered. The bed was still small but both of them could fit better than on the couch. She had two pillows next to each other and was already laying on one as she read. She folded her book closed and got up and stood next to Malfoy.

"All of this makes you uncomfortable," she asked as she put her fingers on his arm. He didn't mind her closeness and he liked her touch.

"No," he returned quickly as he moved up to lightly hold her hand. "It's fine."

"Are you sure?" She was relieved, after talking about the war she knew she wasn't going to sleep well.

He hugged her again and when he let go she grabbed his hand and led him over to her bed. She hopped in on her side and after she got in he followed. She threw the covers over him and smirked as he threw them off his face.

"I see how it is!" He joked as he pretended to shove her off the bed. As she turned on her side she put her arms around him to keep from falling off. He put his arms around her and pulled her in to his chest. Both of them relaxed and after a few minutes he could hear Hermione snoring and feel her breathing deeply. This relaxed him and he reflected more about what they talked about earlier and the times he had spent with the death eaters.

He had nightmares that he was back in his house with the Dark Lord threatening his family, and threatening him. He relived countless tortures filled with laughs and screams, and then he saw Hermione's face. He watched as she refused to talk under torture, refused to be a play thing for his twisted aunt's pleasure, and watched her pay the price. Her body was lifeless on the floor. "NNOOOO!" he shouted as he shot out of bed. He began to feel around in the bed. "Hermione! Hermione!" he reached out for her and put his hands under her arms to pull her up, to make sure she was okay.

"Draco, let go of me!" she had a surprised and sleepy voice as she pushed back against him. He lowered her back into bed, realizing everything had been just a dream. She turned on the lamp and looked at Draco who had tears on his face, his eyes were red.

He swung his legs out of bed and sat on the side, holding his face in his hands. He should have never stayed over, he didn't want anyone to see this side of him.

Hermione got out of bed and came over and sat next to him and rubbed her hand up and down his back and leaned her head on his shoulder. After what felt like several minutes Hermione finally spoke. "Draco," she said tenderly so she didn't rile his moody side, "are you ready to try again?"

"Try again? Don't you get it? This happens all the time!" he began to lash out at her.

"It happens for me too," she tried to explain.

"I see people being killed right in front of my eyes!" he yelled.

"Who was it tonight?" She knew the dreams could change their details.

"What?" he wasn't expecting her to really know how it felt.

"Who died this time?"

"I don't want to talk about this," he said as he got up from the bed.

"It was me?" she said in a calm voice.

"I said I don't want to talk about it." He was no longer yelling and he sat back down on the bed next to her. He took a few deep breaths and slowly turned to look at Hermione, taking in that she was there and that she was okay. She didn't reach out to touch him in case it would drive him over the edge again.

He slowly reached for her with his hand shaking and she threw her arms around his neck and her body into his arms. After what he had seen it was exactly what he needed. He held her tightly for a few minutes while his breathing returned to normal. He picked Hermione up and laid her down in bed and laid next to her again. She waited until she felt his body fully relax until she turned off the light again.


	13. Chapter 13

Ch. 13

In the morning Malfoy left before she woke up so that he could get ready for the day and process what Hermione's reaction to him was. She was actually able to comfort him and he was able to spend the rest of the night sleeping.

They kept up the same routine and there were times when Hermione woke up and he comforted her as well. It made him so sad to see her in pain that he wished he could take it all away.

The winter holidays were fast approaching and he would be returning home for the first time in about five months, since school had started. He would have about two and a half weeks of being by himself or spending time with his mom and dad. He wasn't looking forward to being back in the house that held so many horrible memories. Hermione had knocked at his door and was ready to go, so they walked off together to the great hall.

When they got to the great hall and sat down, he broke their usual quiet breakfast by asking her what plans she had over the break. He poured a drink for her and set it by her before pouring his own.

Hermione had gotten used to this action now and, and with the recent turn of events it made her feel something she hadn't before. It made her feel happy and then her heart felt heavy. She couldn't think of Draco that way, they were just friends. She had to stop reading into everything he did, of course he would be nicer now that they were friends. "I hadn't thought about it too much. Probably go home and then visit the burrow." She took another bite of toast.

"The burrow?" He had never heard the nickname for the Weasley's house.

Hermione knew that Draco was getting along with her, but wasn't sure if he still held a grudge against her friends. Would he make fun of them if she told him?

"That's the nickname the Weasley's have for their home…it's really charming on the inside."

He smirked and let out a quiet snide laugh and she threw the rest of her toast down and got up and left. He didn't have to ask because he knew why she was irritated.

He headed down to his lesson in the dungeons and planned to teach the students how to brew something fun before most of them left for the holiday. He begun to collect the ingredients as his first group of students arrived and showed them how to make the potion so they could try to re-create it.

"This potion is called Amortentia. It functions like a love potion but doesn't cause someone to actually love you. It can cause infatuation and obsession if used in large doses. Notice the steam when it comes off the top of the potion," He motioned the students to come closer to the potion. "Smell the steam," he was farther away from the potion, walking behind the students as he explained. "The steam will tell you who o what you love, regardless of the effect of using the actual potion. That is the true test. What do you smell?" he asked the class.

The students shared what they could smell, pumpkin juice, loved ones, fresh baked cookies.

"Now, you will brew this potion as best you can and finish by the end of class. Directions are on page 163 in your books." He said as he moved up to the front of the class to bottle some of the potion for his next few classes.

He couldn't help but smell the steam as he hovered on top of the potion. He smelled lavender tea and a soft vanilla scent, then someone touched his arm. "Granger!" he called out in surprise as he turned around. It was Maria. She had a shocked look on her face, but most of the students hadn't been paying attention to him to even hear what he had said. He apologized to the student.

"What can I do for you?" he offered.

She handed him a paper that he had left on her work station, his lesson plan for the other classes that day.

"10 points to Slytherin for being helpful Ms. Chadwick." She smiled and skipped back to her desk.

He turned back around and felt a sick feeling in the bottom of his stomach. Even if he did like her, he knew better than to think she would ever want to be with him. How did this happen? Now he knew, for a fact, that his feelings for Hermione were more than what he thought they were. He had several emotions racing through him, fear, hope, and happiness. He had trouble even admitting it to himself. Then he thought of the idea of her being with someone else and his heart felt jealous and his feelings were no longer avoidable.

When his classes were over for the day he had a few bottles of the potion left over and he put them in a bag so Hermione wouldn't see them when she came to meet him. He waited for a long time and Hermione never did come to get him.

Draco decided to take a walk up to see her in the transfiguration class. He couldn't fathom how any of their families or friends would take the news if they did actually get together, and he had to remind himself that Hermione wouldn't feel the same way. He began to accept that there was no way Hermione could or would ever have feelings for him, and that he should just appreciate what they had. He'd rather have her in his life than her be gone and have nothing at all. In the past he wondered how his Godfather could have based his choices in life around a woman that he loved sixteen years ago, but that was suddenly starting to make sense to him too.

When her classroom was empty he started to get concerned and then remembered that she might still be mad at him for laughing at the name of the burrow. "Seriously, even if they did have 20 kids, who would name their house that," he thought. He didn't have anything personal against the Weasley's, but knew they had a reason to hate him since one of their kids died in the battle of Hogwarts, a battle which started when he let death eaters into the school. Out of all of the acts in the war, he felt his had to be the worst. Because of him so many people were dead. He also knew Hermione was very touchy when it came to her friends.

He went to check the great hall to see if she was already there and she was waiting outside of it for him. When she saw him she turned and went into the hall without acknowledging him. His heart jerked when she turned away from him and he couldn't help using her name. "Hermione," he called after her. He never used her first name in public and rarely in private."

She stopped in her tracks and came back to where Malfoy stood and raised her eye brows at him, as if to ask what he wanted.

"I'm sorry if it bugged you when I laughed. You need to know that I don't have a problem with your friends. Who would call their house a burrow?"

Hermione didn't know whether to believe him or not and looked at him skeptically.

"What, you don't believe me?" he asked.

"No, I'm not sure that I do." She said in a softened tone. He didn't usually apologize if he didn't mean it. "it's not like he goes out of his way to spare my feelings…" she recalled.

He shrugged his shoulders and moved past her as he walked into the hall and took his seat at the table. He knew that although she wasn't happy with him at the moment, he had her attention, and that was all he needed. They both ate and he kept attempting conversation with her.

"It's weird that this will be our last night in the castle for a couple weeks," he began.

"I know, it will be weird not seeing you every day," she admitted. "Will you write to me?" She tried to hide the emotion in her voice. She knew she came to depend on him and his friendship, his sarcastic attitude, and his honesty.

"Umm…maybe." He hadn't considered that she would want to write. "Oh," he threw in but was worried about her reaction, "I'm not sure you should write. I'll be at my house, with my parents." Draco made an embarrassed face.

"Makes sense," she added in a low voice. She wasn't sure she'd even want to send an owl there after what happened to her at that house. It was hard to imagine that the Draco she knew now actually lived in that house of horrors. Her heart felt heavy all over again and she felt sad. "Why am I feeling this way?!" She berated herself for being so emotional. She didn't eat the rest of her food but just picked through it to give her the appearance of eating. It didn't escape Draco's attention.


	14. Chapter 14

Ch. 14

In the morning they both went to pack for their trips out of the castle and walked to the carriages on the edge of the property. Neville joined them since he would be heading home for the holidays too.

Both Hermione and Draco tried to keep the conversation on Neville at all times since they wanted to deflect any attention he cast their way. Neville noticed what they were doing and it made him uncomfortable.

When they got on the train Neville saw a compartment that had two other teachers in it and popped in as soon as he could. There wasn't enough room for all three of them.

Hermione kept walking and found an open compartment and Draco followed her inside and shut the door. They kept their distance and sat down directly across from one another. It was odd for Hermione to think of being away from him, and also odd that she was feeling so strongly about it. She realized that she had come to depend on his friendship more than she even dreamed possible. She decided to hold up her book but couldn't read as she tried to process her emotions.

Draco had looked up at Hermione periodically and she had a sad look on her face while she read. He couldn't bring himself to ask her what was wrong because he was afraid of giving away the sadness in his own voice. He realized it had been a long time since she had turned any pages.

When they reached the platform they both sat there for a moment. "I think you should go first," she said, holding back some tears as she looked away from him and pretended to stare out the window.

He knew that sound in her voice. Draco stood for a second, it was hard in that moment not to comfort her. He wanted to reach out to her but placed his hand on the door instead and forced himself to leave the cabin. Next thing she heard was the door closing and she closed her eyes as a few tears rolled down her cheeks.

When he got off the train he could see her wipe something from her cheeks and stand up and leave the compartment. He turned and his mother was there to greet him, excited to see her son. He gave her a hug as Hermione left the train and pretended not to see him. She saw her own parents and gave them a big hug as Draco's mother turned around and saw Hermione and her parents and glared at them and made a tutting noise.

"I take it she's a teacher now too?" she asked Draco in a cold drawl.

He nodded his head, watching Hermione but not glaring. He had a pained look on his face. His mom had noticed.

"What's that look Draco?" her voice was full of surprise.

He looked away "It's nothing, let's go." He picked up his trunk and led his mom out of the station.

Being back at Malfoy manor was not pleasurable for him. After the war his father and mother were charged for their war crimes. His mother had served a year in the new wizard prison and his father was given a life sentence of house arrest after paying nearly all his fortune to not be locked up for life in prison. Draco was not charged because the wizarding world saw it as his parents' fault that he had any involvement, but being a Malfoy carried a stigma of shame that he would never be able to shake.

He loved his mother most, and although he loved his father he had lost almost any respect he had for him long ago. His mother felt she deserved the sentence she was given, and it nearly killed his father when she refused to let him pay for an easier sentence for her. During her sentencing, Draco spent most of that year with his father, locked up in the manor. It was the longest year of his life.

When she had been released and saw her son there waiting for her she was relieved. She thought he would harbor ill will towards her and her husband for getting him involved in their dealings with the dark lord, which she felt she fully deserved. Draco's forgiveness meant everything to her.

For years there was a cold distance between her and her husband that had gotten better after the war. Staying with Draco at the castle during the war was something she decided to do and when she told her husband she wasn't leaving her son, he stood by her. They both made a terrifying stand for love and it was the start of something new for them.

Lucious was happy to have his son back at home and wanted to hear all about his son's life. "How are things going at Hogwarts?" He asked.

Narcissa was the first to answer, "Lucious, you remember Granger, the friend of Potter's? She's teaching at the school with Draco."

Even though the war was over, Potter and his friends had been a snare in their side for a long time. The parents grew not to dislike Potter who was their own son's age, but they specifically didn't care for Granger, his muggle born know it all and very talented friend.

Lucious raised his eye brows. "Is that true?" he looked at Draco.

"Yeah." He didn't want to go into detail, Hermione was a subject he didn't want to talk about. "She's helped me out quite a bit this year…" he began, showing that any contact between them was amicable.

"You? How could that mud"

"Hey," he was cut off when Draco interrupted. He usually was the perfect son and never ventured to correct his parents, after the war he was more keen to speak his mind, but those moments were few and far between. "Not in front of me, okay?" He ignored his parent's looks and sat down.

Narcissa exchanged looks with her husband and spoke. "How has she helped you?" she asked.

"I had a Slytherin student sorted into my house who is muggle born and has been having a hard time. I asked Granger to talk with her and help her out…" He wasn't about to tell them about their friendship.

"How could that even happen, I've never heard of a…muggle born…being in Slytherin!" Lucious added.

"Don't know, that's on the sorting hat." Draco tried to steer the subject. His heart started to feel heavy, thinking about Hermione and missing her witty humor and being close to her. He started to feel distant in the conversation with his father and stared at him and nodded without actually hearing anything he said. His father didn't notice as he continued a rant about the sorting hat.

Hermione enjoyed spending time with her parents and was having a wonderful holiday. She missed being around Draco and her dreams began to get worse not having him there to comfort her. A few times she dreamed that he was torturing her instead of his aunt. On those nights she couldn't even get back to sleep.

A few years ago her parents had gone on vacation without her. When they came back, they noticed that Hermione had changed and she appeared to be struggling with something. She planned to restore their memories, but the more she thought about it, it was hard for her to try to explain she was in a war they knew nothing about, so she thought it best to keep them in the dark rather than worry them. They had tried to talk to her about her change in behavior a few times, but she just told them that since she was such a good teen, behaviors from her teen years must be setting in later than normal and she laughed them off.

After the holiday she went to the burrow for a few days as planned to celebrate the New Year.

All her friends were there, Harry and Ginny, Ron, and all the Weasley's. She was glad to see them again and quickly got them caught up on how she had been doing since most of them didn't bother to write as much as Hermione would like them too. She decided to leave a few things to herself.

Ron looked over at Hermione, "Heard you and Malfoy are getting along really well." He chided.

"Actually we are." She said in a matter of fact way that said the matter was closed for discussion.

In the morning she came to the table to eat her breakfast and visit when a post owl came in and dropped a letter for her. "Me?" she asked the owl, not sure who would be writing to her. She could see from the pen that wrote the hand that the letter was from Draco. She wanted to read it later when she was away from prying eyes, but the owl didn't budge. "Oh, alright," she said as she quickly read the letter.

He wrote the following:

Hermione,

Can I see you later today? I should have given you your Christmas present before we left. I won't stay long. If you agree can I come at 9:30pm just outside the main road to your friend's house?

Happy New Year,

Draco

She knew there was a get together at the Weasley's this evening and with so many people they might not notice that she was gone. She tore off a chunk of the paper from the bottom of his letter and wrote back yes and gave it to the owl.

Everyone was watching her, wondering who the letter was from. She tried to smile and began asking Harry some questions about his auror training.

Neville and Hagrid had come for the party as well as some of their other friends. There was singing and drinking and they had a lot to be happy about as they faced another year with Voldemort gone. She was enjoying the company and at 9:25 she told everyone she was getting fresh air and stood outside, walking to the main road of the property. She should have brought a jacket, it was freezing.

After a few minutes she heard a loud pop and Draco had apparated just a few feet in front of her. She was so relieved to see him that she nearly hugged him, but stood rooted to the spot, waiting to see how he acted towards her first.

"Hermione," he reached out to her, glad she had met him on time. He held her hand for a moment. "Your hand is so cold!" his fingers went up her arm and he could feel she was ice cold. He was so happy to see her and glad also for the excuse to get close to her right away. He took off his cloak while she protested and he draped it around her and kept one hand on the small of her back, bringing her in closer to him. "That's better. How have you been?" There was longing in his voice.

She didn't have much to share, other than she had been missing him quite a bit. She didn't think it was best to tell him that. "It's been good, getting to see family and friends. I've been wondering how you've been doing…"

"Oh, so you've been thinking about me Granger?" he said sarcastically.

"Shut up," she pushed him lightly. "Have you been sleeping okay?" She was concerned about him.

He noticed her tone sounded a little worried and wanted to reassure her "Well, it's been alright." He said not wanting to draw attention. She knew how his nights typically went for him. "Yours?"

"…not that great," she answered honestly. He could see she had a sad look on her face again.

"Well I got you something that might help you sleep better," he held out a candle for her, "or at least help you relax. I've been using it before bed and it's helped me. He blushed slightly but it was too dark outside to notice. She took the small glass container in her hand and saw that it was pretty.

"Thanks Draco, I got you something too," she pulled a book about advanced potions from countries around the world out of her hand bag.

"Cool, I've been wanting this!" he said as he flipped through the pages.

He looked down at her and she was smiling at him, happy he liked his gift.

"We'll be back at school soon Hermione, just a few more days, right?"

"Right," she said.

He pulled her in for a hug and she threw her arms around him, putting all her effort into the hug. It was several moments before they broke apart.

"Happy New Year Hermione," he whispered in her ear. Hearing his voice whisper to her gave her butterflies.

She leaned her face over on his and lightly pressed her lips to his cheek then released him. He felt heat rushing to his face. He had to resist the urge to turn and kiss her on the lips. He wasn't ready to let go of her as she moved in his hands, he instinctively loosened his grip and took a step back from her.

She started to take off the cloak.

"Just give it back to me at school," he waived off her arguments. "It's too late, I'm leaving." He started walking away from her, not wanting her to get any colder.

"Draco," she called out to him and he stopped. "Thank you," she said as she turned away and started walking towards the house. As she got closer she could see a few people from the party were outside, talking in a group. As she approached Ron called out to her.

"Oi Hermione," she walked closer to them all. "Next time your boyfriend comes over you know he can come in right?"

Hermione blushed and mumbled "not my boyfriend" loud enough for them to hear.

"I don't understand how it happened," Ginny started, "but if you're happy that's all that matters," she encouraged Hermione while Harry started laughing.

"Give it a rest Ginny, Hermione would never be interested in Malfoy," he said while laughing. He made eye contact with Hermione and when she didn't laugh he stopped as well. "Hermione?"

"I don't know," she answered honestly.

Ron and Harry were aghast and Ginny looked triumphant as Hermione turned to walk back inside the party. After visiting for a few short minutes she went up to her room and lit her candle.

The candle smelled like all her favorite things and smelled strongly of the evergreen smell that Draco usually had. He was right, the candle did relax her. Instead of ringing in the New Year with all of her friends downstairs, she spent it upstairs getting the first good rest she had in two weeks, thinking of the person who should be lying next to her. She was still wearing his cloak and having his scent around her relaxed her as she drifted off to sleep.

There were a few more days of vacation before she caught the express back to Hogwarts. She walked with her parents to the station and her dad carried her trunk for her through the platform. She saw that Draco was there with his mother and she tried to pretend both of them weren't there while she started to say good bye to her parents. Was she mistaken, or was Malfoy walking toward her?

Malfoy and his mother reached Hermione and her family and Hermione stared at him for a moment.

"Aren't you going to introduce me?" he asked her in a whisper as she continued to stare at him. Draco was wearing his muggle clothes and his sleeve that covered his dark mark. She had to tell herself not to stare.

"Mom, dad, this is Draco and his mother, Mrs. Malfoy." She didn't feel it appropriate to introduce her by first name since they weren't on first name terms. She was surprised to see Narcissa shake her parents hands and not sneer afterwards. Draco looked pleased to meet her parents.

"Draco, so you teach at Hogwarts too. Hermione tells us you're head of Slytherin house?" Her father began.

Narcissa eyed Hermione curiously, she had mentioned her son to her parents?

Hermione was surprised how well her father had paid attention.

"Yes, it's been a good year so far. Your daughter is a great addition to our staff, we're lucky to have her." He blushed as he complimented her.

She sometimes hated it when he was nice because it was so unlike his character, but he sounded genuine.

Narcissa had looked like she was uncomfortable but it was obvious she was trying her best to be polite. She nodded her head at both parents and spoke quickly to Hermione. "It was nice to see you Ms. Granger," she said before turning away. Draco also nodded and followed his mom to say goodbye.

"What a polite young man," her mother commented.

"He's okay," Hermione added, looking at her stunned parents. "What?"

"You've only talked about him most of the trip," her father said.

Hermione gave a bashful look, things had gotten awkward. "Love you guys and I'll see you this summer." She said as she gave them one final hug and boarded the train.

When she got on there were teachers as well as students returning to school from the holidays so there wasn't going to be room to sit alone. She saw Draco was already sitting in a compartment and there was room for one more, but she passed it up to go sit with some students instead. He did his best to hide it but he felt a little dejected. Even if they couldn't talk openly, he just wanted to be in her presence and take in the sight of her. His heart lifted slightly when he saw she was still wearing his cloak.

When they were back at the castle grounds, Malfoy grabbed her trunk as well as his and put them on the carriage they were taking. She saw he had her trunk and got in the carriage and they took off together. They didn't share more than a few words during the ride.


	15. Chapter 15

Ch. 15

Once back in the castle he brought her trunk to her room and dropped his trunk off as well. She went inside her apartment and lit her candle and relaxed on the couch with a cup of tea, waiting for Draco to join her. After a little while she heard a knock on her door and she got up to answer. Draco still hadn't changed from his muggle clothes.

Hermione smiled and let him in. "You're still wearing your muggle clothes?" she teased.

He knew she liked them and wanted her to see him before he changed.

"You like the candle I made for you?" he could see that she'd already burnt half the candle in just a few days.

"You didn't mention that you made it." She said as she put the candle out, wanting to save it as long as possible.

"You didn't need to put it out," he said as he slowly grabbed her hand, feeling the need to be close to her.

She didn't say anything but let him take her hand and closed her eyes as Draco took a step closer to her. She put her other hand on his chest and laid her head on his shoulder. She felt her body relax for the first time in weeks as tension ebbed away. She took a deep breath and took in his smell and noticed she liked the feel of the soft cotton shirt on his chest.

"I only want to use it when you're not here." She began.

Then she asked "Do you use an evergreen scent? Something about you smells like light evergreen all the time and I can smell it when I light the candle. It's like you're here even when you're not. What did you put in this?"

He debated if he should tell her and he lifted her chin so he could look her in the eyes. She willingly moved her head slowly upwards and had a longing in her eyes.

"I made this candle for you with the amortentia potion." He studied her features as understanding dawned on her face. "It doesn't mimic the effect of the potion, but the steam of the potion is released as it burns." He whispered, his heart was elated and it caused him to be honest with her. He had gotten the proof that he needed to know how she felt about him.

"So this means…that…" she wasn't ready to drop the "L" word with him. She hadn't even admitted to herself that it was possible she loved him. As she thought about all the emotions and feelings she had surrounding him and it started to make sense. He still had his fingers holding up her chin and he was searching her eyes.

"Yep," he answered.

She was silent as he lowered his hand and she rested her head back down on his shoulder. She felt a mixture of sadness and relief. It was nice that she could finally admit this to herself, but why did she have to find this out in front of Draco. Why did he even give her the candle if he knew it was possible she had feelings for him? He wasn't likely to want to have something more meaningful than a friendship with her, and the thought tore at her heart. She didn't know where they would go from here.

Draco wasn't sure what Hermione was thinking, but she didn't seem happy. He wondered if he had made his feelings clear to her. "If it makes any difference," he hesitated, trying to find the words in his happy state, "I've been sleeping better because I smell your lavender tea and your vanilla perfume." He wondered how she would take this news, but it felt like the right time to tell her.

Her head lifted up and she looked at Draco, locking eyes with him. Her eyes brimmed with tears like she was going to cry, not believing what he was saying. Was he playing a joke on her?

He put his hand on her face and started into her eyes that were worried. He hated to see any pain or worry on her face and his heart pounded in his chest. He held her face in his hand as he leaned in and tilted his head slightly; he lightly separated his lips and with a loving desire he gently pressed his lips against hers. He closed his eyes and they held the kiss for a moment when he broke it and gazed into her eyes again.

Hermione was left with no doubt that Draco had feelings for her and she felt a spark ignite her heart as she realized she wanted his lips back on hers. She threw her arms around his neck and kissed him back, with more passion than he showed her. After a minute, he picked her up and carried her off to the bed, laid her down and laid next to her while kissing her a few more times.

"Hermione, this means that, technically, we are involved now." He quipped.

She answered in between kisses, "you haven't asked me out yet."

He stopped kissing her and looked into her eyes again, "Hermione, I think…I'm in love with you," he whispered. Her heart skipped a beat and her breath caught in her throat. "With all the terrible things that I've done, would you ever want to be my girl friend?"

"You used the 'L' word…" she pointed out when speech returned to her.

He didn't reply but just nodded and blushed. He had known that he loved her since brewing the potion weeks ago and had time to get used to the idea. Draco seemed resolute about his feelings.

"Yes, I'd love to be your girlfriend" she whispered back as she kissed him. His heart felt light and he grabbed her tighter and felt his hand in her hair, holding the back of her head while he pressed her lips down onto his.

After a few minutes she laid down beside him again and he started lightly kissing her jaw line and down her neck and he worked his way back to her lips again. His passion was starting to take over and hers too. The time over break when they didn't see one another made them build up intense feelings that neither of them had expressed before.

Hermione reached behind him to pull his shirt up and off his chest. She was looking at the muscles she had seen so many months ago when Draco was in a towel and that she could feel every time he held her. He loved the look in her eyes as she took his body in. She was gripping his arm band on his arm and accidentally started to pull it down when Draco froze.

He always kept his dark mark covered up, and although her moving the band off and partially exposing the mark was an accident, it ruined the moment for him. He also thought they were moving too far too fast.

He pulled Hermione up and fixed his arm band.

"Oops," she saw why he had stopped.

"It's okay, I just like to keep it covered." He explained, embarrassed.

She began kissing his neck and moved down to his chest again when he called her name and tried to get her attention.

"Hmmm" she answered, not stopping.

"Hey, as much as I don't want you to stop, we need to." She stopped kissing him and gave him a sad face.

"I know, it's just…we're moving kind of fast. I'm to blame for most of it, but I have some traditional views about…you know…" and then he whispered "being physical."

Hermione started laughing a little. She never thought she would ever hear Draco Malfoy say that to her. "Okay Draco," she smiled at him as she plopped back down on the bed. He laid right next to her and wrapped his arm around her.

They knew they had lessons the next day but it was still hard for either of them to sleep. Both wanted to keep the moment of passion going and the way they thought of one another made it difficult to sleep.


	16. Chapter 16

Ch. 16

In the morning Draco woke her up with a kiss before going over to his quarters to get ready for the day. He came back to get Hermione when he was done. He didn't see her in the front room so he peeked into the bedroom.

She had just gotten out of the shower and was walking around her room in a towel, her hair was wet and lightly curly as it fell against her skin. She hadn't noticed him come in and was talking to herself.

"Where is that hair brush, shirt is over there…panties!" She walked to her drawer and was holding up different ones to wear. Draco knew he shouldn't be watching but he couldn't bring himself to look away. She grabbed hold of her towel and was just about to drop it when she looked over her shoulder first and found Draco in the doorway staring at her.

"Draco!" she half shouted as she went to the doorway "what do you think you're doing?" she said as she pushed him out and snapped the door shut.

"I'm sorry," he shouted through the door. He felt like a creep, which was a new feeling for him. He was pretty sure that she was going to be upset with him.

When she came out her eyes were wide and she sat down next to Draco on the couch. He began talking as soon as she sat down.

"I'm sorry, I don't know what happened. I just came back and you weren't in here, so I was just making sure you got out of bed and…" he stopped.

"And what?" Her tone wasn't exactly angry, but not happy either.

"And, I saw you, and, you're just so beautiful…I hadn't seen your hair like that before, and then you started pulling panties out of your drawer! It all happened so fast!" He tried to explain.

"I can't believe you saw all that," she said, embarrassed as she held her head in her hand.

"I feel like a creep Hermione, I'm really sorry."

She didn't think he was being a creep, but she thought that next time she should have shut her door. "Maybe if I'm not in the front room, knock on my door. I'll keep it closed if I need to change or anything." She offered. "And I don't think you're a creep Draco."

"Good plan, let's get some breakfast before we miss it entirely." He was glad for the change in subject and glad that she wasn't mad at him. He grabbed her hand and they got up.

"Probably a good idea for now not to draw attention to ourselves by acting differently," She suggested.

"Yes, but can I hold your hand until we open the door?" Draco joked.

She laughed lightly and pulled him down for a kiss before he opened the door.

"Breakfast," she echoed.

Breakfast was delicious, over the break the food she ate hadn't been nearly as good except Mrs. Weasley's cooking. She chalked this up to the house elf magic in the Hogwarts kitchens.

Draco and made light conversation when an owl swooped in and Hermione got a letter. She untied the letter and paid the owl before it took off.

She didn't see that it was addressed, but when she opened the letter there was no mistake it was for her.

It read:

"You're not wanted here mudblood"

The message had obviously been made by someone cutting letters out of a newspaper and pasting them together.

"Nice try, it's going to take more than that," Hermione said to her letter as she set it down, unaffected.

Draco looked over and saw what was written. After he read the message he grabbed her letter and read it again, just to be sure that's what it had said. He looked over at his house table to see if any students were looking at them and then when he didn't see anyone he looked over at the other tables. No students seemed to be expecting a reaction, but maybe he had looked up too late after she received the letter?

He was fuming as he leaned in and whispered to Hermione. "I will find out who sent this Hermione."

"Oh, don't worry about it Draco, it's not a big deal." She had been used to much worse. Once she had Rita Skeeter publishing untrue articles about her breaking her friend Harry's heart and got bags and bags full of similar messages.

"Not a big deal!" he half shouted at her. Now people were beginning to stare.

"Let's talk tonight," she said as she got out of her seat. As she walked out of the great hall she looked again at Draco and his features looked livid. She learned a long time ago not to put energy toward negative people and gave no thought to the letter or the one who wrote it.

She made light conversation with her students about the break as they filtered into her classes. More than once that day she heard that Professor Malfoy was in a foul mood and assigned a large essay to the students.

She usually used her class periods to check in on her Gryffindor students and see what the news around the common room was. She had a few particularly chatty Gryffindor's in two of her classes and once in a while she would hover behind them and listen to the inside scoop. She hadn't realized that this was a typical strategy the heads of houses used until she became one herself.

In the evening she went down to get Draco who still looked angry. "Get over it!" she tried to reason with him. "Whoever sent that wanted to upset me, and I haven't let it work, they aren't getting what they wanted."

"How can you tell me to just get over this? How can you let someone talk to you that way?" He considered that he had spoken to her that way in the past. "And I know you're thinking I have spoken to you that way, but we were kids and in my defense I always said it to your face."

"I wasn't thinking that, and I don't think it matters if it's face to face or not, the sentiment is the same." She pointed out.

"We have to find who did this Hermione, maybe even report this to the headmistress…"

"No, we aren't going to do that, that would blow this out of proportion. There were a lot of students complaining about getting long essays today, Professor," she added the word 'Professor' in a teasing whisper.

"Yeah, like who?" he was getting grumpier and grumpier and ignored the tone she used.

She stepped close to him and whispered in his ear, "We can talk more when we're back in the room. Let's go Draco, it's time for dinner." He reached up and cupped her arm and took a deep breath.

"I don't want anyone to call you that." He sighed as he ran his hand down her arm and picked up his things and moved towards the door with Hermione at his side.

He had eaten a light dinner and she had as well, but decided to grab a few things to take back to their room. When they got back they sat on the couch and talked for a while.

"I'm wondering if whoever sent that didn't send it to upset me. Maybe the person who sent it knows us and is trying to see how you react?" She offered.

He hadn't thought of that and considered what she said for a moment. "Who do we know that would do that?" he asked her.

"Lots of people. How about our friends and family, other teachers or students? Don't you think that's going to be the hardest part for us? We're happy, but will everyone else be happy for us?" She asked.

"When you say family, surely you're not talking about your own," he said darkly.

Hermione was quiet for a moment, she was implicating that his family would do something like that because her family never would. They didn't know anything about pure blood or half.

Draco knew she was right. When she said family or friends he thought of a few people. His mother and father were ones that came to mind, he didn't have any friends currently, but it didn't mean a previous one hadn't heard about him working with Hermione…His parents didn't seem too pleased that he wasn't upset to work with her. He would have to start with them and then move down the list he was working on in his head.

"I'm going to write a few letters to see if I can figure anything out." He got up and reached for his quill and grabbed some parchment and sat back down. Hermione sat on the other side of the couch grading the essays that had come in from her students that day.

"I still say we let it go Draco," Hermione sighed as she took a sip of tea.

"I don't want to argue Hermione…" This was one of those times that she was really starting to get on his nerves. She sensed it and figured they could agree to disagree.

He began writing to his mother first:

Mother,

I arrived back yesterday afternoon. It was a nice and easy ride and I had good conversations with some of the guys on my way back.

I have a question to ask and I apologize for how this sounds. Would you or father have written to Professor Granger recently?

Reply as soon as possible,

With love—Draco

He hoped that would be a good way not to give away too many details of the situation. It did feel odd referring to Hermione as Professor Granger.

Then he began another letter, one he wasn't expecting to write but one he needed to nevertheless:

Potter,

You have to know that it would only be out of absolute necessity that I would contact you or otherwise I wouldn't. I also would appreciate if we could keep this conversation just between ourselves.

As a friend of Hermione's you know how stubborn she can be, so I don't need to remind you. She received a letter this morning that was concerning. Of course she's not concerned, but this was out of nowhere and I don't want things to escalate. The letter was constructed from letters clipped out of a newspaper and read "You're not wanted here mudblood." I would like you to quietly look into this matter and I am looking into it myself.

If you send word back via owl please disguise your handwriting on the envelope so Hermione doesn't notice.

-Malfoy

After reading it a couple of times he decided he was done and got up. "I'm off to the owlery, be back in a few," he said to Hermione as he left. He didn't like reaching out to Potter, but knew that Potter was a true friend to her. If someone was going to be as concerned as he was, it would be Harry.

When he came back Hermione was still grading papers. He sat next to her and pulled his student's homework close to him. "Feel better?" she asked.

He looked over at her and rolled his eyes. "Really?"

"Sorry," she laughed. She was trying to make fun of him. "Just trying to make conversation!" she said innocently.

"Sure you are," he said as he reached out and lightly poked her in the ribs and made her jump, he smiled at her and poked her a few more times.

Hermione started laughing and tried to push him back and then took a pillow from the couch and threw it at him.

He got up, "uh oh, you're going down," he scooted his papers off the couch. Hermione did the same as he lightly laid over top her, tickling her and trapping her at the same time so she couldn't move. Both of them laughed so hard and the fun light hearted evening made up for the grumpy manners Draco had that day.

The next morning he received two letters at breakfast. Hermione thought this was odd as he never usually received one, but she remembered he had written a letter the evening before.

Hermione also received a letter. At first Draco thought it had been from Potter, telling Hermione that he had written to her, but Hermione just folded the letter up and put it in her bag. If it had been Potter she would have probably shouted at him.

He was too busy reading his letters to give Hermione a second look. She was a little less cheery than she had been a minute before. She had received another nasty letter, and while it didn't bother her, she didn't want to talk to Draco about it.

Draco received a reply from Potter that he kept shielded from Hermione:

"Malfoy-Thanks for writing and no, this isn't good. Hermione might blow it off but you're right to think this could escalate."

Draco scoffed at the letter, "of course I'm right, I don't need you to tell me that, Potter," he thought. He continued reading.

"Is there anything that has changed in her life recently? Any changes might explain why she's getting letters now when she hadn't before. Another word of advice about Hermione, if you show you're worried she'll only try to shield you from the truth, be on the watch for that. In the meantime I'll check around to see if I can get any info."

Potter's letter wasn't a total waste. Draco had learned something about Hermione that he didn't know. And as much as Hermione said he shouldn't be concerned, he felt good knowing her closest friend agreed with him. He put the letter away and opened the one from his mother.

Draco,

I might ask why you would think us interested in writing your new 'colleague'? You seem to take an interest in this girl Draco. Do you deny it? I admit I was astonished when you introduced me to her family. Your father and I have not written to her, but we are left with many questions concerning your letter to us.

Love-Mother

He folded up his letter and had no intention of replying to her as he put it next to Potter's letter. He looked over at Hermione. She was intentionally not looking at him and he could feel the effort she was putting into acting normal.

He reached for her hand but stopped himself when he was just above her hand, remembering where they were. "Not another one?" he asked her.

She looked over at him with wide eyes, not sure what gave it away. She didn't answer, but her look was enough.

"Let me see it," he demanded in a quiet tone.

"Not here," she said, "tonight."

He turned his head away from her and focused on his food, trying to control his reaction like Potter suggested. He ate a few more bites of food and was done.


	17. Chapter 17

Ch. 17

After a few more days Hermione had received one more letter that was similar to the last two and Draco had received another one as well. His mother and father weren't pleased at not receiving a reply and wrote to insist he answer their questions.

He sat in bed with Hermione, thinking of what to write to them. "If I tell them I'm in love with her and dating her, they will never understand. But if I don't tell them then am I treating Hermione like I'm ashamed of her?" He wanted to ask her but didn't know how.

"Hermione," he reached his hand up to rub her arm, "are you going to tell your parents about us?" he asked.

His question came out of nowhere, so she wasn't expecting it. "I will, eventually."

"What are your reasons for waiting?" he was curious.

"I guess…we know how things work between us when we're working, but what about when we leave? I'm waiting to see…if you're serious…about me." She had a bashful look on her face, admitting the truth.

"Serious? How could you doubt that?" If he hadn't been serious he wouldn't be laying next to her.

"It's not exactly doubt, but do you really see yourself eating dinner with me and my family, muggle family night?" She gave him a sad sort of look.

"Why not? I admit it will be different for me, something to get used to, but I'll try." He added.

"What if you test it out and it isn't for you? What if you think that I'm not for you?" Hermione's eyes began to get slightly teary.

"What if it makes me love you even more and you want to dump me?" he joked, he didn't want her to cry.

She smiled and then gave him a serious look. "I'm not sure if I could do dinner with your family Draco. Will that make you resent me?"

He didn't expect her to want to have dinner with his family, and it was hard for him because he did want to be able to introduce the woman he loved to his family, but they made that difficult. "Not resent you, no. You have good reason. I'd like to eventually be able to do something normal like that with my family, but I do know what I'd be asking of you and of them. I don't think it's fair to ask you to do that." He looked into her eyes as he answered.

She was sad that he couldn't have everything he wanted, it wasn't fair that he was caught in the middle. "Draco," she said softly. "I'll try, I'll really try if that would make you happy."

He hadn't taken his eyes off her, her actions showed him just how much she cared. "I'm not sure if I want that just yet." He decided to be honest with her. "I'm writing them now and thinking about telling them about us…"

Hermione sat up straight in bed "You're what?!"

"Whoa, what's wrong with that? They'll probably need a decent head start before they see us again." He shrugged.

"Do you want to get a howler at breakfast and let the whole school know?" She was shocked.

"You don't know my parent's style, they would never send a howler. They care too much about their image. There are no two people that this secret would be safer with. They care too much about their blood status to let it leak." He smiled confidently.

"I don't know," she hesitated. Maybe it was too soon to tell them.

"Are you worried your feelings for me will change," he tried to guilt her, but he didn't really believe what he was saying.

She heard the mocking in his voice and knew he wasn't serious.

"If you want to, go ahead and tell them then."

He turned back to his letter and began to answer.

Mother and father,

I see that you're upset with my lack of reply but it was because I knew you wouldn't like my response.

After the war my feelings towards Hermione Granger had changed and after the break I began a relationship with her. You don't have to like my decision but I do ask that you respect it. I'm happy.

-Draco

He read the letter to Hermione.

"You sound so stiff when you write or talk to your parents," she commented.

"They raised me to carry myself with pride," he came off a little haughty as he said it.

"And so did mine, but I don't talk that way," she remarked.

"And you know mine are pure blood fanatics who probably thought their child would be a credit to their race, they have a different ideology," He sounded a little defensive.

She knew what he meant, he wasn't raised to be an equal to anyone, even from the first time she met him he was filled with arrogance and conceit. Her parents raised her with an ideology of equality. Although she could see how his parent's view became a downfall in his life, she realized what a luxury her parents had given her with theirs.

"I don't want to be around when you get the reply," she said as she smiled at him.

"Don't worry, they won't write me for weeks." He looked over at her and tucked her hair behind her ear.

"Why don't you come home with me for Easter?" She didn't know what made her say it, it just popped out of her mouth.

"What, to your house, with your parents?" He was stunned.

"Are you afraid your feelings for me are going to change?" She tried the same line he had used on her but batted her eyelashes as she said it.

"What if they don't like me, or what if they don't want me to stay over with you?" There was a lot to think about.

She hesitated before answering, she didn't want him to get a big head. "They already like you, and I'm pretty sure my dad already thought we were dating by the way I was talking about you…" she felt a little embarrassed and her cheeks were reddening.

"You were talking about me?" he smiled at her.

She dodged his question and laid down on the bed playfully looking up at him.

He laid down next to her and his fingers found her hand and he held it. He leaned in and kissed her.

"So?" he pressed.

She let out a big sigh "Yes, I was talking about you. I told them about how things are going at school and you came up in conversation a few times."

"Hmm," he began, "I think you have a crush on me Hermione Granger…" Draco said as he began kissing her again.

The next day Draco had gone to the owlery to send the letter off to his parents. He had to make it back to Hermione before breakfast so they could arrive at the staff table together.

He rounded the corner into the owlery and nearly bumped into a student on his way in. "Hey!" he yelled to stop the student. It was Marie Chadwick, first year Slytherin. "Oh, hi Ms. Chadwick."

"Sorry professor," she said "I don't want to miss breakfast," she was short of breath.

"It's okay, just slow down next time," he added as she moved past him and out of sight. He went in and found an owl and sent his letter off.

He met Hermione at the portrait hole and they walked together to the great hall. When they got there breakfast had already started and post had already come and gone for the morning. At least if anything, Hermione wasn't able to receive one of her fan letters today.

They finished eating and went their separate ways to start their lessons. When Hermione got to class she began to prepare her lesson for the day and took objects out of a cupboard for each student.

To her surprise, professor McGonigal walked in.

"Headmistress," she said, "Good morning."

"Good morning Professor Granger," she began. "I was hoping we could talk about the arrangement we made at the beginning of term, before the students arrive."

"Certainly," she transfigured seats out of two of the objects that she had taken out of her cupboard.

The headmistress took a seat and Hermione followed.

"I've been thinking that perhaps I was too harsh on you and Professor Malfoy. After seeing you both take my instructions seriously as you have done, you are no longer required to follow our agreement. You will however continue to have patrol duty together." She saw that Hermione hadn't been expecting this. "Surely you both are getting along now?"

"Yes, very well professor," Hermione replied. She almost wanted to thank the headmistress for bringing them together, but wasn't ready to break the news to her. After all, their relationship was still new.

"Hmmm, yes, I've noticed that too…" she said and then added, "How are you settling in Professor?"

"I enjoy being back very much and the staff is so welcoming. I never dreamed of being a head of house but things seem to be going well with my students too."

"I remember when I was head of Gryffindor house and usually had three out of their bed at any one time wandering the castle. The enchantments that Professor Malfoy has made are helpful, are they not."

"Yes, he's very talented," she added, her face reddening as she said it.

The headmistress rose and Hermione did as well.

"If you ever need anything Ms. Granger, please don't hesitate to ask me," She turned again on her way out, "if you would be so kind as to pass my message along to Professor Malfoy?"

"Yes I will. Thank you for the visit headmistress." Hermione changed the chairs back into objects and waited for her students to come in. If McGonigal had changed her mind just a few weeks sooner, she and Draco might not have admitted their feelings for one another.

Later on, after lessons, Hermione went to the dungeon to get Draco so they could head off to dinner. He was cleaning out cauldrons and hadn't noticed that she came in. She waited in the doorway and just watched him as he worked, he had a peaceful look on his face and seemed right at home. In that moment she was thinking about what their future together might look like.

Draco caught her eye and she walked into the room.

"You don't have to just stand in the doorway Hermione," He said as he smiled at her.

She wanted to kiss him so badly but they had talked about not showing any affection other than where they had complete privacy. He could see she was lost in thought and came over to her.

"What is it?" he asked softly.

"Nothing, are you almost ready?" she asked.

He reached his hands out and placed them around her waist. "Hermione, you can tell me," he asked again.

"I'm just enjoying watching you, thinking about what the future holds," she wasn't sure if he thought about their future so she didn't want to bring it up.

He removed his hands from her waist and put one hand in hers and with the other he lightly brushed her jaw bone. He began to lean in to kiss her.

"Not here," she whispered as he stopped moving forward and dropped both of his hands. He had gotten carried away. He wouldn't have known even at the start of term that he would feel this strongly for anyone, let alone Hermione. Now, he was so in love with her that he forgot where he was. He took a step back and collected himself.

"Let me grab my wand," he had left it on the table when Hermione had come in.

They both headed out and as they did Hermione told him about her visit with the headmistress.


	18. Chapter 18

Ch. 18

The next day at breakfast they arrived together and the headmistress wondered if Hermione had told Draco her message.

During breakfast, Hermione hadn't gotten another letter, but Draco had. His mother had written back to him from the letter he had sent about him and Hermione. After he paid the owl he looked at Hermione.

He didn't know whether to open it or to wait for later incase what she said caused him any irritation. He took another look at Hermione and tucked it into his coat pocket so they could read it together later.

She was happy that he was waiting. Even with the terrible letters she sometimes got he had been putting them away until the evening to open them. Hermione didn't want them and usually gave them over to Draco straight away since he cared so much about them.

That evening at dinner there was a post owl that delivered a second letter to Draco, this time it appeared it was from his father. Draco also put this one in his coat and decided to read later.

When they had gotten back to their quarters, Hermione wondered if she should give him privacy. She waited in the kitchenette, taking way too long to make tea than was usually necessary. He also didn't want to be rude, but he wanted to read his letters before Hermione got a chance to so he was prepared for what they contained. He felt his parents were decent people at heart, but this seemed to be an issue that they wouldn't see eye to eye on.

When he opened his mother's letter he quickly read what she wrote:

Dear Draco,

Our lives have taken such a turn that not much surprises me anymore. I also expected as much

by the way you were looking at Ms. Granger at the train platform. The introduction to her

parents was also something that gave away your feelings for her. I feel I have no room to offer

any judgement son, after the terrible position your father and I had put you in because of our

choices. You've stood by me and I'll do the same for you. I do have to ask though Draco, do you

honestly think she can have feelings for you, do you expect her to someday be a part of our

family after being tortured by your aunt and held in your basement? I know you feel sorry for

the crimes we committed, but are you sure these feelings are true or that this isn't your way to

try to make up for the past? Forgive me for asking.

Love-Your Mother

He hadn't expected her reaction to his letter. If he was being honest, he did wonder if what he had with Hermione would really last because of the marks he had left on her past. When she talked about things like their future it made him feel like it might even be possible for them to move forward after all. He also knew that his parents and her were already off to an impossible start.

After a few more minutes he realized that Hermione hadn't come out of the kitchen yet and that things seemed to be taking a while. He got up to go check on her.

She was standing with her back to the opening and he watched her stirring her tea that appeared to be done a while ago. It was darker than usual because it had steeped too long. "What are you thinking about," he whispered as she gave a slight jump.

"We've got to stop doing that to one another," she remarked. "I was just giving you time to process your letters. Trying to give you some privacy." She grabbed the tea tray and began to walk past him.

"I could have read the letters over at my place if I was that worried about it Hermione," he added. He still needed to read the letter from his father and he doubted that was going to be something he wanted to read. He thought about leaving her place to read it in private but didn't want to be without her.

He sat down with Hermione on the couch in front of the warm fire and passed his mother's letter to her. He then took out the letter from his father and began to read:

Draco,

I'm beside myself after your last letter and I'm not sure what I feel more, shame or disgust. You

are one of the few pure blood wizards left, with good looks and a good family name, and you're

ready to throw it all away for this muggle born mud blood scum. The son I know would never

have looked at her twice, and she's not even pretty Draco. When this nonsensical fling with her

is over, feel free to contact me. Until then, I leave you no regards.

Had I a son I would have signed this your father.

-Lucious Malfoy

Draco was so angry with his father's letter that he threw it directly into the fire. He wanted to apparate to Malfoy manner to confront him. He also knew his father's reaction would be bad, but he couldn't have guessed it would have been this bad.

"Had he a son, shame or disgust" he thought, the words played over and over in his mind. "Our family name isn't good now anyhow!" Draco interjected out loud.

Hermione just looked up at him with a tense frame and big eyes. He didn't pay the sight of her any attention as he began pacing the room. "He had used the word mud blood, even after being corrected about how I felt about it," Draco thought. He banged his fist on the wall. Had his father sent the letters? Had he feigned innocence in the situation? "Highly probable," Draco said aloud as he punched the wall again. He wasn't sure he wanted Hermione to see him as angry as he was. He walked to the door and left without a word to her.

He headed down the corridor and went straight for the big oak doors at the front of the castle and went through them, he needed to take a walk and the grounds seemed like the best place.

He set out not paying attention to where he was going when after a few minutes he found himself at Hagrid's hut, but before the forbidden forest. He started to turn around when Hagrid called over to him.

"Hi Professor, what are you doin out here?" Hagrid asked in a friendly questioning tone.

"I…I was just going for a walk and ended up here, sorry," he offered as he turned away again.

"Hey, you don't have to leave just yet, I was getting ready to pour a cuppa'" he motioned for Malfoy to come inside.

He pointed at himself, "me?"

"Yes you, get in here," Hagrid said as he held the door open.

Malfoy came into Hagrid's hut and noticed that it was small but seemed to fit his needs. There was a large wooden table in the center of the room, and on the other side was a nicely made large bed. Dried flowers, roots, and strings of rope were hanging from the ceiling rafters.

Hagrid set two large glasses on the table and began to pour some mead colored liquid. "You look like you need one of these professor," he said as he nudged the glass over to Draco and took a seat.

Draco took a seat too. "I don't understand why you've been so nice to me since I started Hagrid," he sighed. "I was terrible to you when I was a student here, and I'm sorry for that." Being a teacher himself now he understood just how bad of a student he could really be. Draco took a drink from the cup in front of him and started coughing.

"Pretty strong stuff there, you might wan ter drink it slow," Hagrid started. "You were the worst student I had ter deal with Malfoy, but, you've changed," he added. "I remember what side yeh was on when the war was over, that's enough for me."

Draco took another drink from the cup.

"Yeh seem bothered tonight though, and usually Hermione is with you." He pointed out.

"Yeah, I just came from her place," he admitted.

"Yeah?" Hagrid didn't want to pry and tried to think of another subject.

Hagrid brought up racing brooms and the two continued drinking and talking for about half an hour.

Malfoy was starting to be affected by the drink Hagrid gave him and was in a mood to share more than he usually would.

"I just don't get this pure blood mania, you know what I mean Hagrid?" Malfoy began, "if there was any credit to it, and I mean any credit at all, then people like Hermione just wouldn't exist, would they? She can do magic I've never even seen, and she's always made it all look easy, even when we were kids."

"I don understand why people care about that, I never have. Look at me, I'm half giant and I'm no threat to no one, but there are those who would beg ta differ just cause of me race." Hagrid pointed out. "How is Hermione, I don see very much of her." Hermione usually came to dinner early and left before Hagrid made it, since he often arrived a bit late.

"Ah, well, she's doing good. She's been busy with being a head of house now," he added.

"Not as busy as she is with you though," Hagrid eyed him as he continued to take a drink.

"Yeah, been that noticeable, have we?" he asked.

"Not that I think anything is going on, but it's enough to make most folks wonder," he answered honestly.

Maybe it was the relief at having someone who would approve of Hermione, or just that he had too much to drink, but Draco began to tell Hagrid about the start of term and the agreement they were both forced to make with McGonigal if either of them wanted to keep their jobs.

"I don believe it!" Hagrid half shouted, "But she knows yeh an ol' Hermione had a negative history from going to school together."

"I understand her point though, we're held to a higher standard now, we can't let the students know when we don't get along with colleagues, it's unprofessional." Malfoy added.

"So you and Hermione are only like this because of the headmistress and no one knows?" Hagrid asked.

"Well, yes and no." He started again. "After several months of working with Hermione I actually…began to have feelings for her. I didn't expect that to happen in a million years. Then I asked Hermione to be my girlfriend when break was over and we've actually been dating since then," he added.

Hagrid looked shocked, not sure if Malfoy was joking or not. Draco decided to take another drink from his cup to break the awkward silence.

"You're serious," Hagrid confirmed, it was a statement and not a question.

"Perfectly," Draco replied.

"Knowin Hermione and seeing how you two have always gotten along, it's jus a little hard ta believe."

"I'm in a rough spot because I am serious about her, and I know being with her will cause issues between myself and my father, but she's worth it. You know what she said tonight? She talked about our future, you have no idea how happy that made me." Hagrid could see that Malfoy had had too much to drink. He was far beyond the normal friendliness he normally would have shown, and shared some long kept secrets. Now he was starting to bear his heart. It was too much for Hagrid.

"Wow it's sure getting late, I have an early day in the forest tomorrow morning. I better turn in," he added. "Do you think you can make it up to the castle alrigh'?" he asked.

"Yeah, I should be fine," Draco said as he stood up and nearly fell back down. Hagrid stood up so he could help walk him back to the castle.

The walk and the talk with Hagrid helped Draco put the letter with his father in context. He realized that if his father didn't truly care about his happiness, what was it his father wanted from him? On one hand he had Hermione who accepted him for who he was, and on the other his dad, who held him against a constructed standard that Draco wasn't even sure he wanted.

Hagrid helped him through the front doors and then to the portrait hole and then knocked on Hermione's door. When Hermione answered she was surprised to see Hagrid.

"Hi Hagrid," She said and then she noticed who he was supporting. "Draco!" she shouted as she ran to support his other side, "is he okay Hagrid?"

He looked at Hermione and could see that she deeply cared about Malfoy, whatever their past had been. "He's just 'ad a little too much ta drink is all," he deposited him in the doorway with Hermione holding on. "See yeh later Hermione," Hagrid smiled at her.

"See you, and thanks," she replied. He just nodded at the sight of them and left. She helped Draco in the rest of the way and closed the door. When she went to support Draco he was already holding the wall as he walked around the room towards the couch. She walked ahead of him to block him from the fire.

"Hermione…" he called out when he was almost near the couch, he needed a hand to make it the rest of the way.

"I'm here Draco," she reached out and took his hand and led him to the couch where he sat down.

"You're always doing that for me, always…"

"What do you mean? How much did you drink tonight." She asked.

"Just a cuppa' is what Hagrid calls it. The cups were pretty big though." He was talking in a way that she hadn't seen before but she thought it was cute. "But you, you're always taking my hand no matter where I'm at. I don't know how you do that…"

"Well you would do the same for me," she replied.

"I have done the same for you. When we got back from Hogsmead you were drunk Hermione and hitting on me, and I covered you up. And that's when I first knew…" He gazed into her eyes.

"I didn't know you did that," she said, taken aback, embarrassed.

He was quiet for a moment.

"I love you Hermione," he blurted out at her.

"I love you too Draco," she said.

"I'm willing to do anything to be with you, you know that right. I don't care if my father doesn't ever speak to me again, you're worth it to me."

Hermione hadn't heard this detail since Draco left directly after he burned the letter. She didn't want to be the cause of his family splitting apart. "Don't say that Draco," she looked pained by what he had just said.

He reached for her hand and pulled it up to his lips to kiss it. "Why haven't we already talked about getting married?" he asked.

He was going too far, she didn't think he would be talking this way if he was sober. "Draco, let's talk about it tomorrow."

"No, I want to talk about it now. We need to get our own place, and then what if we want kids?"

She looked at him with her eyes wide, "You're moving too fast for me Mr. Malfoy," she joked, trying a different strategy to bring him down.

"Oh, I forgot. I can't get too excited," he started to say with drowsiness setting in on his eyes.

"and why not?" she asked.

"After what I've done, what I've allowed, I'll never deserve you." He had drifted off to sleep and left Hermione to think about everything he had said.


	19. Chapter 19

Ch. 19

The morning was a weekend so neither of them had to wake up by a certain time. Draco had slept on the couch and Hermione had slept in the bedroom with her candle lit. In the morning she was up before Draco but heard him moaning as he started to wake up.

"That was quite the night you had last night Draco," she said as he was starting to sit up on the couch.

He held his head for a minute. "I feel terrible," he croaked.

She had started some pepper up potion in the kitchen while she waited for him to wake up. "I've got something that may help," she said as she got up and brought him over a cup.

He sipped it and slowly he started to move more and with less groaning.

"I've never done that before," he looked over at Hermione.

"Done what exactly?" She had so many questions for him but wasn't sure if she should bring up any of the things that he had said. She had to talk to him about a couple things though.

"Drank that much," he looked over at her to see if she might be upset with him. "What's that look for?"

Hermione had a look on her face like she wanted to say something and also like irritation.

"We can talk about it later," she dismissed his question.

He reached up by her shoulder and lightly brushed her hair back with his hand. Then he trailed the back of his hand down her arm until he reached her fingers and intertwined his with hers.

"I don't know how I was last night, but I'm sorry if I said anything that upset you," he began.

"You did say some things that upset me, but I'm not upset with you." She noticed how that sounded and thought she should have used better words for that sentence. "You did mention that your father is no longer willing to speak to you because of our relationship. Is that true?" She asked.

He took a second as the letter came rushing back into his mind "Yes, and if I don't mind I don't see why you do…"

"Of course I do Draco! I Don't want to be responsible for ripping your family apart! How can you think I wouldn't mind?"

"What did you think was going to happen? You know who he is Hermione," he let go of her hand.

"Maybe that he would be upset and eventually get over it. I don't want to cause a rift in your family and cause one of your parents to be estranged from you!"

"How are you the cause Hermione? He's the one who made the choice," he shouted.

She was quiet for a moment, thinking about what he said. She was also thinking about his mother's letter, was he with her because he felt so guilty about the past, was it his way to make up for things that had happened? She couldn't believe that, his feelings seemed so real.

"Do you think there was some truth to your mom's letter?" She asked calmly.

"What about her letter?"

"The part where she asked if being with me was your way to make up for the past," Hermione whispered.

He stood up and started pacing the room again, what his father said still swimming in his head and his mother's words and now Hermione's doubt. "Is it that hard to believe that I would actually have feelings for you, do you think this…all of this…has been a lie? Do I have guilt for the past, for the people murdered and tortured in front of me, by me? Yes! But how does being with you make up for that? What does it change?" He was shouting again.

Hermione was remembering the people that had gone missing that had died at the hands of the death eaters. She remembered living in fear, listening to the radio wondering if people she loved had gone missing. Tears started to well up in her eyes and spill over.

He hadn't meant to make her cry and as his anger ebbed away he came and sat next to Hermione while she tried to cover her face as she cried. He put his arm around her and pulled her hair away from her face. "I'm not with you for any other reason than I want to be. You make me feel like I can move forward from my past. I love you Hermione."

She put her arms around him and he pulled her on top of him and laid back on the couch. He wrapped both arms around her and started rubbing her back to comfort her.

"I love you too Draco," She said.

"I know you do, and I wouldn't ask you if you felt that way to make up for anything." He whispered to her.

"I'm sorry, I know how you feel about me is real. It's just after I read that it made me think, the thought had never crossed my mind."

"When we started here this year was I even friendly to you?"

"Not really," she started laughing lightly.

"So, if I thought my behavior could make up for anything, do you think I would have acted differently?"

"Probably," she said, thinking he probably would have, but it was hard to think that the Draco from then and the Draco now were even the same person.

"I don't think it's possible to change the past, what I've done to people. There is no way to make up for it. Look at the sacrifices you made Hermione, you had to make your own parents forget you, to protect them from me and my parents, and from the other death eaters." She shuddered as she picked herself up slightly to look in his eyes.

"But you're not one of them Draco, you didn't enjoy it, don't lump yourself in with them." She still had tears in her eyes.

"Is that what you tell yourself?" He said sarcastically as he sat up. He hadn't heard Hermione mention her thoughts on his past. "I may not have enjoyed it, but I was one of them, make no mistake," he pulled back the sleeve he wore that covered up his dark mark, exposing it.

"…Draco…" his name caught in her throat. She felt fear as seeing the mark.

"What is your reaction going to be when we're out in public together and people point at me, talk about the things I did to their family? I will be paying for a lifetime, and I'm okay with that, it's what I deserve," he still hadn't covered his mark up. "What are you going to do when people glare at you for being with me, or if we have kids and they have to endure ridicule because of me or my past?"

"Who in your position could have made a different choice Draco?" She choked out.

"Who?" He asked as a dark smile appeared on his face. "Someone decent," he reached out for her face and brought her back into his chest. "You Hermione, you would have made a different choice. I let fear control me and joined to keep my parents alive, you made them forget you."

She didn't know what to say to him.

"And now, you feel sorry for the people that would no sooner look at your parents than kill them," his voice was a growl "just for being muggles. You are amazing Hermione, and you've already sacrificed enough. Let me be the one to make a sacrifice for once, please." He pulled her back to look into her eyes. He searched them for a moment and as a tear rolled down her cheek. He brought his hand up to wipe away her tear.

"I know enough of the past, Draco. We, none of us, should have to sacrifice anymore."

"I'm afraid that's just not true," he replied.

She remembered the comment he made the night before, about not deserving her. Maybe this was what he was talking about. "What do you mean by that?"

"If you see a future with me then it means that you'll have a lot of sacrifice. Someone who's already given up so much…"

She was starting to get a little irritated "What do you mean if? I told you just yesterday that I was thinking about our future."

"My family name carries a stigma now, one that will affect any future family I have. You, being who you are, should always be respected wherever you go. I can understand if you won't want that stigma for yourself, with me." His face was pained as he admitted his feelings to her.

"No, I disagree with you," she began in a haughty tone. "I think you're the one carrying a stigma. If you can't have pride in your family name because what was once a sign of pure blood greatness is a terrible reminder of how wrong that view was, then you should have pride now in the man that you've become. When I look at you, I don't see a past death eater or a victim of circumstance; I see a man who was terrified of the people he was forced to keep captive in his basement, I see a man who made a brave choice to fight alongside me when we were at our bleakest moment of a war and all was lost, I see a man who after the war has decided to devote his life to a calling where he will give to others, a man with courage to stand up for what is right." Her chest was heaving as she finished.

For the first time that morning he wasn't sure how to respond to her. He couldn't believe she saw him that way.

"Well," she asked, pushing for a response.

"…I had no idea you thought about me like that…"

"Why, because you're too wrapped up in the past to see reality?" She was starting to get huffy and he wasn't sure what he had said to make her so upset.

"Why do you seem mad at me?" he asked.

"Because I have high standards Draco, and you act as if I lowered them in being with you! You know me well enough to know that's something I wouldn't do."

"No, you wouldn't," he admitted.

"Then no more of this 'I don't deserve you' talk," she added, a little less huffy.

"When did I say that?" he asked, surprised.

"Last night, when you got back from Hagrid's."

"Did I say anything else last night?" he was curious what else had slipped.

"Plenty actually." She half smiled at him as she debated telling him about the other details. "You wanted to talk about getting married and our house and kids."

His eyes were wide, wondering what her initial response had been. He did think about those things often, he knew he wanted a life with Hermione outside of school. "Did I really?"

She kept smiling as she leaned in to him and rested her head on his shoulder. His sleeve to cover the dark mark fell to the floor. She adjusted herself and grabbed the sleeve and handed it back to him.

"Thanks," he said as he covered it up again. He hated to look at it. She resumed her position on his shoulder.

"Yes, sounds like you've thought things out."

"I wish I could have seen your reaction," he mentioned as he moved her hair and played with it. "You wanted to talk about our future, I guess you know what I'm picturing now. Does it bother you?" he hoped she wasn't put off.

"Bother me? No." she sighed. "I feel happy knowing that you are that serious about me, I'm not ready for kids though." She laughed again and looked up at him.

"No? Too soon for that?" He laughed too. "I do want you to be my wife someday Hermione," he whispered to her as her face began to redden.

She picked herself up slightly and kissed him, not stopping for several minutes.


	20. Chapter 20

Ch. 20

Over the next couple months things had remained pretty much the same between the two of them except their relationship had gotten deeper. Draco's mom wrote him from time to time to check in, and his father did exactly as promised and hadn't spoken to him since.

Before they knew it time had sped forward and they were facing April. Flowers were in bloom and the grounds of Hogwarts and the rest of the country was full of life. It was the Friday before the Easter holiday the teachers and students were allowed to take the train back, but Draco and Hermione decided to pack light and just apparate from Hogsmead to her parent's house dressed as muggles.

When they arrived Friday evening her parents were delighted to welcome the two and looked forward to what promised to be a full weekend. They didn't get to see their daughter often enough and took advantage of their time together. Draco noticed that her parent's were very friendly and treated him with as much kindness as they did their own daughter.

Hermione's dad shook his hand when he saw him, "Glad you could accompany my little girl," he said as he tapped him on the back.

"It's my pleasure Mr. Granger," he offered.

"Please, I'm Wendell, my wife's name is Monica." He added as he steered them into the front room.

They all sat down and Hermione's mom brought in some tea.

"So Hermione," her mom began, "are you going to tell us how you guys met?"

Hermione started blushing "mom," she said in a slightly embarrassed way.

"It's okay Monica, we don't want to embarrass our Hermione, you're the first guy she's ever brought home," he added to Draco.

Draco looked at Hermione and smiled, "not even Weasley or Potter?" he asked.

Hermione shook her head. Draco wasn't sure why he felt so elated at this news.

"We actually met when we were back at school together," he started. "But we were enemies then."

Her parents hadn't expected this and looked between Draco and Hermione.

"He's telling the truth, I didn't like him at all then. But when I went back to teach this year, I found out he was a teacher too." She told her parents.

"Yeah, and we still weren't getting along. After catching us fighting the headmistress forced us to work together and we actually got to know one another." Draco finished.

"The rest is kind of history," Hermione looked at her parents. That was basically the short version.

"Sounds like quite the story," her mother added. "Tell us a little about yourself Draco, what do your parents do?"

He glanced at Hermione before answering. "My father used to be a Governor for the school, but retired from that several years ago. My mother is an heiress, so they both don't need to work. They occupy most of their time with each other I suppose."

"Well it would be nice to have them join us for dinner one day," Wendell added while Monica nodded.

"Yes, we've met your mother, but you'll have to introduce us to your father someday." She smiled at Draco. "Hermione's written about you a few times, it's nice to have some time to meet you formally." Hermione started blushing again, getting even redder than before.

Her father noticed and planned to change the subject. "Hermione told us there are no dentists in the magic world, is that true?"

"No what?" He hadn't heard of the term before.

"My wife and I are dentists for a profession. We examine and fix people's teeth." He explained.

"Oh," he tried to picture that and it seemed odd to him. "If we have any issues we go to St. Mungo's to see a healer, even issues with teeth. If they're too big they shrink them, or if they aren't straight they do a spell to fix that too."

He spent the next half hour hearing about things called cavities, fillings and braces. Their profession sounded like a nightmare to him and he was starting to get uncomfortable. Muggles really had such a different world.

After a while Hermione's mom asked if she wanted to help make dinner together while the guys watched football on the television. Draco wasn't familiar with football, but the goals at either end of the field reminded him vaguely of quittich. He asked Wendell a lot of questions about how the game worked and even caught himself getting into it a few times.

The ladies brought dinner out to the table and the guys came to join them. They had prepared a type of food that Draco wasn't familiar with. He knew he would have to eat so that he didn't appear rude and took a bite of the sandwich in front of him. It was delicious.

"What's this called Hermione," he asked. "I've never had this before."

"You've never eaten a grilled cheese sandwich?" Hermione asked. She had never seen them served in the great hall, but they were one of her favorites.

"Nope," he said as he took another bite and began eating some of his fries too.

Hermione laughed and her parents talked about board games to play after dinner.

No matter what game they picked they were going to have to explain the rules to Draco since he had never seen these particular board games before. He knew how to play chess, but it looked like he knew a different version than what muggles played. Wendell saw him eying the chessboard.

"We can play when we get done, if you'd like."

When they were done Draco sat down to the board with her father while her and her mother played another type of game. Even though he had played wizards chess many times he wasn't used to doing family activities, but he did enjoy himself. He liked how close Hermione and her family were.

In the evening they told Hermione and Draco that her room was ready for them. He didn't expect that they would let him stay in the same room with her and thought he didn't hear them correctly.

"I'm sorry, I didn't hear you correctly," he said to Monica, "where am I sleeping?"

"In the room with Hermione dear, you're both adults." She said as she walked away.

Hermione led him into her room and it was much different than her quarters at the school. She had posters up of different muggles and there were girl and kid things all over her room. He could see that she probably had this room her whole life.

She plopped down on the bed and wrapped up in the pink comforter that was covering the bed. She watched him as he took in her room and slowly walked around looking at her things.

"Who's this?" he asked, pointing to the poster.

"That's Madonna, she's a muggle singer," She smiled at him. "This is like a whole new world for you, isn't it?"

He nodded, there had been a lot to take in that day. "It's nice though," he said as he continued to look around her room. He saw she had a few books shelves and looked at the books she had. He hadn't heard of any of them. "Which one is your favorite," he asked her. She picked out about 12 books from her shelf and handed them to him.

"Of course," he added sarcastically as she deposited all the books in his hands.

"Oh," she walked across the room, "and this one," and she dropped one more onto the stack.

"I think you have a problem Hermione," he noticed all of them were thick. "Most people have one favorite…"

"Well I'm not most people," she replied.

"Fair enough," he smiled as he sat down on the bed and started flipping through one of the books that she gave him. "I'm going to read these," he said as he put his arm around her. So far, he was finding the muggle world fascinating. It was amazing to him that muggles had accomplished so much without using magic. He couldn't imagine the accomplished witch laying next to him being raised as a muggle.

The next day they woke up early and dressed as muggles again and set out with her parents to go sightseeing. Draco had never spent so much time riding in cars as he had that weekend. Muggles had it kind of hard and he was actually feeling sorry for them.

That night they had dinner at a restaurant that was Hermione's favorite. Draco watched her as she enjoyed her time with her family, she seemed so content and he was happy to be there with them.

In the evening when Hermione started to go upstairs she motioned him to go with her.

"I'll join you in a moment," he said as he turned around to talk to her dad. "Wendell, can I speak to you?"

"Sure," he said as he led Draco into the front room and they both sat down.

"What's on your mind Draco," he asked though he had a feeling.

"I know you don't know me, but I'd like to ask you for Hermione's hand in marriage," he began.

Wendell sat back in his chair. He didn't know the young man in front of him at all. He barely even saw his own daughter except a few times a year, but he could tell that she was herself around him and that she seemed happy with him.

"And you would promise to always be good to her and make her happy?" he asked.

"yes," Draco answered sincerely.

"I may not be a wizard, but I'm still her father. I never want to hear that you've hurt her, she's a good girl."

"I will do whatever I can to keep her happy, you have my word, sir."

He nodded at Draco, "when do you plan to propose?"

"I was thinking after she spends time with my family. By then I'll know if she will say yes or not."

"You think she might change her mind?" Her father eyed him.

"It's possible, they aren't like me." He added.

"How so?"

Draco realized he may have spoken too freely but didn't want to lie to her father. "My family believes magic is to be kept in pure blood wizarding families. They don't believe muggle…I mean non magic peoples should possess magic."

"What about people like Hermione, some people have no link to wizards and can still possess magic," Wendell threw in.

"Yeah, that's not unheard of in the wizarding world. But that's their ideology and they aren't likely to change that."

"So if they don't accept her then you might not propose?" He was starting to sound angry, wondering if this guy was just toying with his daughter's emotions.

"I plan to propose to matter what." Draco flatly reassured him. "I want spend my life with her regardless. It's just that my family isn't like yours," he added.

"What's that supposed to mean?" he asked Draco rudely.

"your family is…close, mine isn't really like that."

Wendell's features softened. "Oh."

"I just want her to know what she's getting into if she says yes." He thought she already knew everything she needed to about his family.

"That sounds very well thought out actually," he extended his hand to Draco "Sorry for getting angry for a moment there. You seem to make her happy, so you have my blessing Draco."

Draco clasped his hand and shook it. "You reminded me of your daughter for a second," he said as they both laughed.

When he went back upstairs Hermione was already asleep, her candle was lit but almost gone. "I'll need to make another one of these…" he thought as he laid down in bed next to her and wrapped an arm around her.

"Draco," Hermione whispered.

"yeah," he answered as she exhaled. Then he realized she was still asleep and must be dreaming about him.


	21. Chapter 21

Ch. 21

The next day they were headed back to Hogwarts so they could prepare for lessons the following day. Draco had reached out to shake Wendell's hand when he pulled him in for a hug and Monica gave him a hug before leaving too. They told Hermione to visit again soon and to bring Draco any time.

When they got into Hogsmead they decided to stop at the Three Broom Sticks and have a butter beer before heading back. "Only one this time Hermione," He joked, remembering when she had come before and been a light weight.

"Oh, and you too mister," she joked back.

"I don't think they have any Hagrid sized cups here, so I should be fine," he smiled as he held the door open for her.

They sat down and Draco ordered their drinks. Hermione grabbed his hand while they waited and asked him his thoughts on her family.

"So, honestly, what did you think?" she asked.

He held up her hand and kissed the back of it. "Of your family?"

"Yeah," she waited.

"They're wonderful Hermione. They were so…warm, and really friendly. Your dad didn't let me win at chess and totally beat me, and I respected him for that too." He set their hands back down on the table.

"I'm glad you liked them," she smiled as their drinks were delivered and sat down in front of them.

"Hermione, can I ask you something," he wasn't sure how to start.

"Sure," she took a drink of her butter beer.

"How would you feel about getting to know my mother?" he watched her reaction carefully.

She slowly set the drink down and her eyes were wide. "What?" She thought maybe she hadn't heard him right.

"My mother, getting to know her…"

"Honestly?" she couldn't believe he was springing this on her, especially in public.

He nodded his head and waited.

"Nervous, angry," she gripped her butterbeer so tightly her knuckles were white.

"But you would try though?" He asked her in a sweet, hesitant tone.

She took a deep breath. Then another big drink before answering. "Yes," she said with real effort. "To be fair," she thought, "Draco just experienced muggle life and didn't complain even once." She sighed. "Sorry Draco, that was a bit rude. Yes, I'd like to get to know your mother if that's important to you."

He smiled and leaned in and kissed her, glad that she was willing.

"I'm ordering another butterbeer though," she added and he flagged the waitress down.

"Another drink for her and then our tab please," he was still smiling at Hermione.

"Sure," she took a step forward and then back again. "Your tab as already been taken care of," she added.

"By whom?" Hermione asked.

The waitress pointed to a witch in the corner reading a book and drinking something herself. Hermione slid her hand out of Draco's but it was too late, Professor McGonigal had already seen them. She had a faint smile as she nodded in their direction and went back to reading her book.

The waitress walked on to get the drink.

"What are we going to say," Draco asked Hermione. "I shouldn't have kissed her here," he thought.

"Nothing," Hermione said calmly.

"How can you be calm Granger?" He noticed he hadn't called her that in a while, if felt weird to call her that now. "Sorry," he added.

"You're freaking out Draco, just be cool."

"But she's already seen," he began when she interrupted in hushed whispers.

"Yes, she has, so there's nothing we can do but be professional. Deep breaths." She acted casual. Inside she was freaking out as much as Draco, but she had been up to enough trouble in her day to know how to keep it together. Either McGonigal would say something to them or she wouldn't.

The waitress set the butterbeer on the table and left.

"I'm just going to drink this and we can leave," Hermione had already taken a big gulp.

"Hermione, we have to thank her, we can't just leave," Draco said. She knew he was right.

"Oh God," Hermione said as she was starting to let her nerves show. She took a deep breath and exhaled. Then she took another big drink of the butterbeer. "I don't think this actually has an alcohol in it," she added, "it's having no effect on my courage."

Draco let out a laugh and Hermione just stopped and stared at him.

"This is serious Draco," she began.

"I know, Hermione, sorry. It's just that a moment ago you had it together." He tried to collect himself again.

"Yes, we're a real yin and yang," she said dryly. She had finished her last drink and Draco stood up.

"Best to get it over with as soon as we can," he said.

Hermione stood up next to him as they walked over to the headmistress.

"Good afternoon you two," she began.

"Good afternoon," Draco started, "we wanted to thank you for the drinks Professor."

"You're very welcome," a smile rose to her lips as they both stayed rooted to the spot.

"What? Professor Granger? Did you think I was going to ask about that kiss?" Hermione and Draco were both blushing. "Because I hadn't intended to. Good day," she offered as Hermione grabbed his hand and they quickly walked out.

When they got outside they both did a sigh of relief and he laughed.

"Should you have seen that coming? She was your head of house after all…" Draco began.

"She gave you detention a few times if I remember correctly, I didn't see that coming any more than you did."

When they got back to her apartment he started up a conversation with her. "You know, school will be ending in a couple of months, is it hard to believe a whole year has gone by?"

"It's not a whole year, Technically. Mid-August will make it a year."

"Okay, know it all," he said in his sarcastic tone, "but what are your plans for the summer, we haven't talked about them yet." Draco had plans of his own he wanted to include her if she felt up to it.

"I just planned on going camping with my family, you're welcome to come of course," she added. "And then I plan to visit the burrow to say hi to everyone, and spend time with you." She finished.

"I will go muggle camping with you and your family…" he started when Hermione interjected.

"Yay! I hoped you'd say yes!"

"IF," he tried to finish.

"If?" she repeated.

"If," he paused again, "You stay overnight with me."

"Sure, don't we do that all the time?" she asked skeptically.

"At my house…" he finished.

She got up from the couch. The last time she had been back there was something she could never forget. Draco couldn't know what he was asking her to do. She looked over at him with a wild look in her eyes.

He knew the only way for her to overcome what happened there was to be back and have different experiences in the house. It was his childhood home and he wanted to work up to taking her there if it were possible. He knew he was asking for a lot.

"I have to think about it," she said in a cold tone. "Is that when you wanted me to meet your mom?"

"No, actually, I wanted you to 'get to know her,'" he clarified. "It might take meeting her a few times. I've set up the next few Fridays at the Hogshead for us to have drinks." He finished.

"That's…what…when…when did you set this up Draco?" she didn't have time to process a proper question.

"A couple weeks ago, I figured after we visited your parents…" he faltered.

"I'm fine with meeting her Draco," Hermione tried to explain. "it's just that if feels like you're springing this on me. Earlier today you just asked me to meet her, and now you tell me you have a few meetings set."

"Yeah," he didn't see what the big deal was, he had given her notice. "I think it would be different if I hadn't given you notice and she just joined us for drinks, but I am giving you notice."

She knew he was right. He was preparing her, although she would have liked to have known months in advance that something like this was coming. "I gave you four months' notice before meeting my parents and you're giving me less than a week, but you're right Draco, it's notice," she said with an irritated tone.

He picked up on her irritation and started smiling at her.

"What?" she asked with attitude. He hadn't seen her this way and knew she wasn't angry.

"You're nervous?" he knew that's what was going on, that's why she didn't like the timeframe, that's why she was giving him attitude.

"Don't be silly," she said as she thought about his question. She didn't want to admit that he might be right.

He shifted his position on the couch and decided to change the subject. He picked up a book and started reading, hoping that would lighten the mood.

Hermione went into the next room and made some tea and then sat down beside him, but she didn't lean in like she usually did, but he still put his arm around her. He felt her tense body relax into him and he kissed the top of her head. They continued to read in silence the rest of the evening.

When Draco looked up to let Hermione know he was going to bed, he noticed she had already fallen asleep. He lightly and carefully picked her up and put her down gently in bed and laid next to her; looking at her peaceful features until he drifted off to sleep.

The week that they had been back passed quickly and after lessons on Friday, Draco left the dungeons to get Hermione. She was just closing the transfiguration door when he arrived.

"Draco," she smiled at him. Over the last week she had gotten more used to the idea of meeting his mom. They hadn't talked about the conversation they had when coming back from Hogsmead last weekend, but both accepted where the other stood at the moment. Since last week, Hermione had been a little warmer to Draco.

"Oh, good, you're ready," he said as he walked along side her, reminding her that it was time for them to go meet his mother.

"Actually, I planned to change, I'm not wearing robes…" she laughed at him. When She left the castle she usually did so in muggle clothes. Draco had gotten used to this but he didn't think it was good for a first meeting with his mother.

He went into her apartment and waited in the front room while she changed. When she came out she was wearing jeans and a nice pink sweatshirt, she kept her hair up and controlled in a bun. He didn't smile at her when he saw her, thinking of all the judgmental things his mom might say. Hermione didn't notice the look on his face as she was already nervous for the meeting.

They walked through the oak front doors and into Hogsmead. Draco was trying to prep her before they got there. "This is just to break the ice, so no difficult topics this first time," he half asked half explained.

"I'll do my best Draco," she sighed, he was the only reason she would even do any of this. Hopefully they didn't have to talk more than an hour.

They passed The Three Broomsticks and headed over to the Hogshead, a bar known to be a little on the quieter side because less people frequented it.

"Hermione," he said as he turned around and saw the look on her face. He watched her take in the bar. Hermione hadn't been back into this specific pub since the battle of Hogwarts, and it brought back some memories for her. After they walked in Draco saw his mom and waived and pulled on Hermione's hand since she was walking slowly.

"I know it's kind of dirty here," he said to her and his mom as he led her over to the table and he sat down. Hermione followed suit and sat down.

Hermione snapped out of her memories and back to the moment at hand. "It's fine Draco, it's quieter here." She reassured him. She lifted her eyes up to his mother. Her features were tightly set but she didn't wear the cold sneer Hermione had so often seen on her face. Something about her was different.

"Draco," she began, "and Hermione," she nodded at each of them. "I'm glad we could meet."

Hermione just nodded back.

"Let's get something to drink," Draco raised his hand and the bar man saw him but didn't come over. "Can you believe that guy?" Draco added.

"Oh, that's Aberforth, he's like that…" Hermione added.

Both Draco and his mom stared at her for a second before Draco spoke again. "I guess I'll go over and get our drinks and deliver them myself," he said sarcastically, his mother smiled.

Hermione didn't know what to say when she was left alone at the table with his mother. It felt like the natural thing to do was to start conversation, Draco said to keep it light but she didn't know what to bring up.

Narcissa started again, "I heard that Draco had a nice time with your family over Easter?"

"Yes, we stayed with my parents," she answered.

"Draco said your parents were very friendly, and that he plans to visit again to go camping?" She tried to continue the topic.

Hermione was trying but not sure how much detail to give. She was being extremely guarded. "Yes, we plan to go camping this summer." Was all she replied.

"I haven't been camping in years. When I was a girl we went every summer and had a great time riding our brooms out in the forest, catching creatures, and telling stories by the fire." She seemed lost in a memory now.

"Well since my family are muggles we don't use any magic when we go camping. The tents aren't enlarged or anything and we mostly go fishing or swimming. Last year my dad caught a big fish that we roasted on the fire." Hermione finished. Narcissa looked at her like she was from a different world.

She didn't add to the conversation after Hermione finished either, mostly due to a lack of knowing what to say. They both looked over towards the bar and saw Draco talking to the bar man. Then they looked back at the table.

Hermione started, "I know this can't be easy, meeting me. I'm sure I'm not what you had in mind for your son" she tried to be honest. After all, his mom had made the effort to show up.

Narcissa looked up at Hermione and took a deep breath. "No, you're not," she was at least honest in her reply as well. She replied genuinely, no hint of sarcasm in her tone.

Hermione spoke again. "We didn't even see this coming, Draco or I," she added about their relationship.

"I believe that." She mentioned just as Draco had come back with the drinks.

"I don't care if this place is quieter, we're not coming back here," he said with an irritated tone.

"What happened?" Hermione and Narcissa asked at the same time. He looked at both of them before answering.

"He didn't have butterbeer, sorry Hermione, and I had to run through a list of drinks to even see what he had. Then he gives me some dusty bottle and I had to pour the drinks myself. The glasses were disgusting, I cleaned them before pouring these," he pushed the cups in front of each of them.

"This smells like fire whisky," Hermione remembered what happed last time she drank it.

"Just drink it slowly," he said to her then added to his mom, "She can't tolerate liquor well."

"Why did you suggest we meet in a bar then Draco?" she asked.

"There are no other places to talk in Hogsmead, I wanted us to have privacy," he reminded her.

Hermione took a small sip of her drink. They were all quiet for a moment.

"What stories did you tell around the camp fire when you went camping?" Hermione asked Narcissa. Draco thought this was out of the blue but wondered if he came back in the middle of a conversation.

"Oh the usual ones, the witch and the evil warlock, the inferi of Indiana, the house elf haunting," she smiled lightly at Draco. "You remember those," she asked.

"Yeah, of course," he looked at Hermione and it donned on him that she might not know those ones. "Any of those sound familiar to you Hermione?" he said as he bumped into her playfully.

"Not particularly," she quietly laughed. "The house elf haunting sounds pretty interesting though."

"What ones do muggles tell Hermione?" Draco asked her.

"Ones about vampires or bloody hands," she thought for a moment and took a drink while she waited for another subject to come up.

"You two…seem very happy." Narcissa commented.

Draco looked over at Hermione and she started blushing as she looked back at him. "We are," he said to his mother as he took Hermione's hand. His mother's eyes grew wide and then she controlled her reaction.

Hermione was nearing the end of her drink and Draco began to put their visit on a clock. He didn't want Hermione to act in a way or say anything that he would regret. She was starting to stare at him with expectant eyes.

"I think I'm going to pay the tab, even though I think he should have paid me to drink here," Draco got up and left Hermione and his mom alone at the table again.

"Hermione," she addressed her.

"Yeah?" Hermione was slowly losing her manners by the minute.

"Do you think it's possible for people like us to start over?"

"I don't know, Draco and I seemed to…"

"Is it truly possible for you to move forward? From the past?" she pressed.

"You sound like him now. What choice do we have?" Hermione answered a little flippantly. She noticed that the look on his mother's face was just like his when her and Draco talked about the past. "You both make that same sad look," Hermione whispered while she looked at her, not aware at this point that she was speaking out loud. Her comment caught Narcissa off guard.

Narcissa stood up and hugged her son as he approached the table and quickly left the pub. Hermione felt relieved that the visit was over. It's hadn't been terrible, but it wasn't comfortable either. It was like meeting the wolf in Red Riding Hood after it had already tried to eat you and your grandmother and inviting it to drinks. You might have something in common with it, but it was still a wolf. For some reason Hermione couldn't see her as someone she would like.

Draco approached Hermione. "That wasn't so bad, was it? You guys seemed to be able to at least talk," he added, happy at the effort Hermione gave.

"It was…better than I expected," Hermione answered.

"Let's get out of this place," he said as he reached for her hand. She got close to him and reached up to hold his face for a moment and looked into his eyes. Then stood on her tip toes and kissed him. "What was that for?" he asked, but attributed it to the fire whisky.

"For being a good son to your mom." As weary as she felt about her, she really liked the affection Draco showed her. She could tell his mom was important to him.

It was things she said like this that made Draco happy, when she pointed out the good in him that he rarely saw himself. He pulled her in close to him as they walked out of the pub and back to Hogwarts.

When they got back to the room she took off her sweatshirt and put on a night gown. It was short and black with a lacy fringe at the bottom. When she walked out of the room to the kitchen Draco couldn't help but watch her as she moved. He got up from the couch and wandered into the kitchen after her. She looked up at him with a hungry look in her eyes and smiled at him as she turned back around and put a dish in the cupboard.

He came up behind her and started kissing her neck and pulled out the clip that held in her hair so that it fell down her back. She turned around and put her arms around his neck and pulled him down to kiss her. They kissed for several moments and then he lifted her up and sat her on the counter and leaned in to kiss her again. She pulled his shirt up and they had to break the kiss so she could pull his shirt off the rest of the way.

"I love you Draco," she said before kissing him again and scooting to the edge of the counter so that she was pressed against his chest. She began kissing his neck and chest when he started kissing her again.

"Hermione…"

He could feel her start to tremble in his arms and stopped and looked at her to see if he was going too far.

Hermione bit her lip and locked eyes with him and put her hand on the back of his neck and guided him back to her lips, encouraging him. He moved his hand further up her thigh and was at the edge of her nightgown and moved his fingertips just past the fringe. Hermione grabbed his hand and placed it up a little higher and Draco was losing his breath.

"We have to slow down Hermione, I want to, but we can't..."

She didn't want to stop but kissed him passionately a few more times before starting to get up off the counter. "Are you coming to bed," she asked in a sultry voice.

"Not if you're wearing that, I won't be able to get any sleep," his voice gave a mixed signal of longing for temptation.

"I could always take it off," she hinted as she let one strap fall.

"…uh…" he was dazed by her appearance and wasn't sure if he had strength left to restrain himself.

She let the other one fall too and her nightgown was being held in place by her arms. He stood up and placed each of the straps back where they belonged on her shoulders. He lifted her chin and looked into her playful eyes.

"Not tonight," he said softly as he kissed her again.

"Okay," she savored one last kiss and then changed into pajamas that covered her up. She came out to get Draco but he was sleeping on the couch. She grabbed the blankets from her bed and curled up next to him and fell asleep too.


	22. Chapter 22

Ch. 22

The second meeting with Draco's mom didn't happen, she wrote Draco the next day to say that she'd rather wait to meet up when they were done teaching for the semester and could spend more time together. Hermione saw this as a delay tactic, but Draco was looking forward to an activity that would allow them to spend more time together.

When the school year had ended neither Slytherin or Gryffindor won the house cup. Hufflepuff house for the first time in 20 years had the most points and pulled ahead of any other group to win the cup. Neville bragged about it at the end of term feast.

"We have to step up our game next year Hermione," Draco told her while Neville gloated.

"Definitely," she agreed. "Let's make a bet on the cup for next year," she offered.

"You're on. When Slytherin wins I want…" he started when she cut him off.

"Ha, did you say when? Gryffindor had won the house cup for the last several years, I'm going to make sure it stays that way," She added.

"Oh, like you made sure this year?" He raised his eyebrows at her, "like I said, when Slytherin wins I want you to give a speech about everything we did to earn and deserve it," Malfoy snickered.

"Okay, only if you do the same when Gryffindor wins. You'll see how those words taste," she laughed.

"Nope, that will be you, why not prepare now? I know how you like to get a head start…"

When the feast was over Hermione and Draco packed their belongings in their trunks and Draco moved their trunks to the carriage. He helped her inside as they rode down to the train and then boarded in a compartment by themselves.

"So, plans for this summer," Hermione began. "You said a few days at our family's houses and we could meet up?" She wanted to clarify the plan with him for what felt like the 10th time.

"Yeah, I'll meet you back at your house so we can head out for camping," he added.

"No magic though, I want you to have a true muggle experience," she smiled, wondering how he would do.

"I figured as much," he would have to depend on Hermione and her family to show him how to do everything.

This time when they left the compartment they left together, they didn't kiss or hold hands because of the students that were around.

"A few days is going to feel like a long time Draco," she gave him a sad look.

"Oh, almost forgot," he said as he reached into his bag and pulled out a package. "I made you another candle." He handed it over to her. She let her hands linger on his for a moment before he pulled them back.

"My parents are waiting in the car, I better go. Thank you," she added. He watched her walk out of the platform and then looked around for his mom.

Everyday that Draco wasn't with her, he wrote to Hermione and she wrote back. His father announced that he didn't like the interruption the owls caused at breakfast and asked to be served in his room. He hadn't spoken to his son since he had come back, and Draco didn't seem to mind. He walked around the house enjoying the quiet. A few times his father had walked past him, as if daring him to start conversation, but Draco never took him up on it.

The night before Draco was set to go camping with Hermione, his father finally came to dinner. Draco didn't pay him any attention as he took his seat.

"Here you are Draco, pass the potatoes please," his mother motioned to him. Draco passed them but didn't say anything. "So tomorrow is the big day," his mother asked him. She knew he was looking forward to going camping with Hermione. He mostly missed seeing her, he wasn't too sure how camping was going to go.

"Big day for what?" Lucious spat at his wife. He had been nasty to everyone ever since Draco's initial letter explaining about him and Hermione.

When Draco didn't answer Narcissa answered for him. "Draco is going camping tomorrow," she paused for a moment and added "with Hermione."

Lucious curled his lip and gave a disgusted look at his son.

"I've actually spoken with her Lucious, and she happens to be a nice girl. Draco seems to care for her," she added. She hated that her husband and son were fighting and wanted them to talk to one another again. She also felt like they both put her in the middle.

"When did you speak with her?" Lucious asked, a betrayed look showing on his face.

"You didn't tell him?" Draco asked, surprised. "Is this why you cancelled getting together again?"

"You were going to meet a few times?" Lucious gave her a cold look.

"Both of you!" She shouted. She exhaled and hung her head and her face was sad. "Lucious and Draco, you're both putting me in the middle of your disagreement and I don't care for it. Draco, I don't mind you wanting to introduce me, but knowing how your father felt about this it was something I couldn't tell him about. Lucious, I support our son and can talk to whomever I would like to." She stood up as if to leave.

"You're forgetting you're my wife Narcissa!" Lucious bellowed at her.

She walked over to him and spoke in a low tone, "I haven't forgotten anything Lucious," she said as she pulled up the sleeve on her left arm, exposing her dark mark. She then turned away from him and left. He was filled with shame and regret and wanted to reach out for her as soon as she left but he was paralyzed from the look on her face.

He looked over at Draco after a moment and hung his own head. The two people he loved the most in the world were at odds with him. He had made choices that subjected his son to fear of being killed and let countless people be tortured and murdered in front of him, he was sorry to the depths of his soul but didn't know how to make it up to his son. He could see a road to redemption with his son staring him in the face but wasn't sure if he was willing to take it. Was he just holding onto his beliefs because it was comfortable and ignoring those he loved? He still couldn't believe Draco, his own son, could be interested in a muggle born, least of all Hermione Granger.

"Draco," his father spoke.

Draco looked up from his food and at his father, but didn't answer.

"Your mother is right," he paused. "You shouldn't have asked her to meet Ms. Granger after knowing my feelings." He tried to say in a gentle voice, but still letting Draco know where the boundary was.

"I disagree with you," Draco answered flatly.

"I didn't ask your opinion," His father corrected.

"And that's the problem, you think this is about you. It's not about you!" Draco shouted at his father.

"I see you've picked up some new manners, I'll have Ms. Granger to thank for that I assume…" he was egging Draco on.

"You have no right to talk about her!" Draco shouted again, his voice sounded more like a warning.

"That sounded like a threat Draco?" His father remarked in a dangerous voice.

Draco took a deep breath and stood up and walked over to his father. "You think you intimidate me, father?" he said father with deep loathing and disgust in his tone.

His father stood up and faced his son eye to eye, "No, I don't believe I do," his father said, sizing him up. "But if you plan to duel me Draco, think it through carefully," he said placing his hand on his wand.

Draco took a few steps back and drew his wand, letting his father know that was his intention. Lucious raised his eyebrows and drew his wand as well.

As soon as Draco could utter a spell, his father had already hit him square in the chest and knocked him over and laughed at him. Draco got up and yelled "Crucio!"

His father doubled over and screamed as Draco moved closer. He thought of Hermione and the others that were tortured by his father. He looked at his father in the eyes as he tortured him and heard him scream. "You taught me this spell, remember?" he said to him.

His mother came into the room, hearing her husband's screams. "Draco!" she screamed at him.

"It was good enough for her, wasn't it? Wasn't it father?" He shouted while Narcissa stood there horrified. "You wanted me to be a monster, to watch as people were tortured?" Draco shouted and then he released the spell. He wanted to walk away but couldn't believe what he had just done.

Lucious picked himself up from the floor and looked at his son, not with a look of anger, but with a look full of hurt. If Lucious thought his heart was broken before by his son being with a muggle born, it was nothing to how he felt now.

Narcissa's eyes filled with tears as she stood next to her husband and supported him. They both looked at their son.

He turned his back on them, not wanting to see the accusing looks on their faces. "You should be proud father, I'm everything you raised me to be," he said as he walked out of the front door and into the garden. He waited a second and was preparing to apparate when his father joined him out in the garden.

"Wait Draco," he said with desperation as he walked toward his son.

Draco raised his wand again, not sure what his father was planning. His father shakily put his hands up to show he had no wand and didn't plan on using one and Draco slowly put his wand away, his own hand shaking.

Seeing his father in that weakened state made him feel guilty, tears were welling up and he turned to wipe his eyes and turned back to look at his father. He didn't know what to say to him.

"You…love her Draco?" His father asked him.

"More than anything," Draco answered.

His father took a few more steps toward his son and reached for his shoulder. He wrapped his arms around his son for the first time in a long time. "I'm sorry Draco," he said as tears fell out of his eyes. "You're a better man than I ever raised you to be."

Draco resisted the hug for a few moments and then hugged his father back when he started crying. It was the first time Draco had ever seen that side to his father.


	23. Chapter 23

Ch. 23

In the morning Draco got ready to head out to see Hermione. When he came downstairs he saw his father was already at the table waiting for him.

"Morning Draco," he offered as Draco took a seat.

"Morning."

"I see you're almost ready to leave?"

"Yes, camping." Draco smiled. He wanted to call it muggle camping like Hermione did but didn't want to push his father's buttons.

Lucious took the smile as a positive sign. "Have fun." He tried to sound encouraging.

Draco gave him an odd look and then smiled again. "Thanks."

They ate breakfast in silence for a few moments and then Narcissa joined them. She liked that there was no tension between them anymore.

"Where are you camping at Draco?" his mother asked him.

"I'm not sure, Hermione didn't really say…" he began. "Oh, before I forget, I wanted to bring her by when we get done camping." He didn't look at them when he said it.

Narcissa and Lucious looked at one another and Lucious nodded to her that she should answer, he wasn't ready for something like that. She took it that he was fine with the visit.

"Sure," she answered, "that's fine."

Lucious was just frozen and Draco looked at the both of them and smiled again. Lucious returned his son's smile lightly and looked back at his wife who saw the puzzled look on his face and raised her eyebrows at his as if to say "what?" He looked back at his son, who hadn't truly been happy in a very long time and sighed. He wasn't going to change his mind now.

Draco took a couple more bites of food and stood up. "I'd better get going if I'm going to be on time," he said.

"See you when you get back," Narcissa smiled at him. His father just nodded. He went out into the garden and after a second they heard the familiar 'pop' sound that meant Draco was gone.

Lucious grabbed his wife's hand and held it and after a moment he brought it up to his lips to kiss it.

Draco arrived just outside her parent's house in the back yard. Their yard was surrounded by hedges so that they blocked the neighbors view. He was happy he hadn't mis-shot their yard. When Hermione heard the 'pop' she ran out in the yard and gave Draco a big hug.

Wendell had time to fill Monica in on the conversation he and Draco had during his last visit and Monica couldn't be more excited for her daughter. She also liked Draco very much and thought she was getting a great future son in law.

He walked with Hermione into the house and shook Wendell's hand at seeing him again and gave Monica a hug.

"Ready to head out?" Wendell asked.

"Yes," Draco answered.

Wendell stopped and gave him an odd look. "Where's your sleeping bag, change of clothes…" he questioned.

"I packed them for him," Hermione answered when her parents looked at her. "He's never been camping before," she added.

Donning registered on her parent's faces and they started to head out to the car.

"You're going to have fun then!" Monica added.

"We're going to the Forest of Dean," Wendell said, "It might be quite a drive."

Hermione went pale but quickly recovered. It had been a while since she was there. Draco saw the look on her face. "Hermione, I'm glad to see you," he said as he squeezed her hand.

After several hours in the car and a lot of talking about what (muggle) people do when they go camping, they had finally arrived. Hermione and her mom went to round up sticks for a fire while Draco and Wendell went to set up the tents.

Draco had gone camping before with his family but they hadn't done it often. The act of going camping seemed to occupy most of the muggle experience, while when wizards camped they lived nearly the same way, but just in a glorified outside tent. He had trouble figuring out what poles went to which parts. After Wendell was done building his and Monica's tent he came over to help Draco.

"Need that pole," he pointed and Draco grabbed it, "and here's the frame. You're doing good for your first time," he encouraged.

"Are you saying that just to make me feel better?" Draco asked dryly. He wasn't enjoying failing.

"Kind of," Wendell laughed, he noticed Draco didn't seem like the outdoors type. "You're doing okay," he added.

"This would be so much easier if I could use magic, I'm not used to doing things without it very often," he sighed as he tried matching up the poles again. A few more minutes in Wendell had helped Draco to finish it.

Monica and Hermione got back with the wood and Draco took a seat and watched as Hermione set up and lit the fire. Seeing her muggle side was fascinating to him now, when years ago he wouldn't even think twice about muggle life. He couldn't believe she knew how to do all of these things that he'd never considered.

When the fire was roaring Monica grabbed the cooler and some sticks and they began to roast hot dogs for dinner. Draco thought it was a lot of work for a very little reward.

In the evening they roasted marshmallows and talked by the fire and watched the stars as they shown in the night sky. When the mosquitos came out, all of them headed into their tents for the night.

Hermione had zipped their sleeping bags together so they could cuddle in one big bag. When they got in the bag and he put his arms around her; she finally felt at peace.

"I missed you Draco," she whispered to him.

"Same, I'm glad you wrote this time," he leaned in to kiss her. "So, I told my parent's I'd bring you by when we were done camping," Draco added. He knew Hermione might get irritated and nervous at him again.

"Okay," she sighed. She missed him too much to argue

"You're good with this?" he asked her.

"If it means I get more time with you, yes."

He hugged her tightly and drifted off to sleep.

In the morning he was up before Hermione and got out of the tent. The grounds were truly beautiful and he decided to explore the area for a little bit. When he had got done hiking about an hour had gone by and he came back to the campsite to see Wendell and Monica already up and eating.

"Morning," he called out to them. "Is Hermione still sleeping?" he asked.

"Yeah," Monica answered. "She doesn't seem to have been sleeping very well lately," she shared.

Draco knew the feeling.

"So are you a hiking kind of guy?" Wendell asked.

"Not really, I just wanted to take in the scenery, it's so nice here," he added.

Wendell sighed. "I just can't pin you down, you aren't into sports, you don't seem to be the outdoors type, most literature we talked about on the ride up you had never heard of, what do you and Hermione have in common?"

"Wendell!" Monica half shouted and playfully slapped his arm as they both looked at Draco for a response.

"Well I supposed it was the war…" he began. He thought that should have been obvious, but then again muggles seemed to think differently about many things that wizards did.

"Come again?" Monica said.

"You know, the wizard war?" When they continued to draw a blank he continued. "Hermione was on the run for about a year and a half…"

"Hermione?" her dad asked and pointed to the tent, asking if they were talking about the same girl.

It donned on him that when Hermione said she had taken their memories of her away, he assumed she probably gave them back after the war. But for some reason he couldn't understand why they wouldn't know about this. Could it be possible that she really hadn't told them?

"…um…maybe this is something Hermione needs to talk to you about…" he started.

Wendell stood up, some of the details of Hermione's behavior over the last two years was starting to make sense to him. "Can magic…is there a way…to make people forget things you don't want them to know?" he asked Draco.

Draco felt like he was on dangerous ground now. He stared Wendell and Monica in the eyes as he slowly nodded his head once.

"She was in a war," Monica said to herself. "Oh God. And that's how you met, so you must have helped her!" Monica had tears welling up in her eyes.

Draco took a step back from them, it was too much. "How could she not have told them!" he thought. He found his voice. "No, I captured her and her friends," it slipped out quickly in his shock; it was the truth and he felt they deserved it.

Wendell came at him before Draco had a chance to react and punched him in the face. "You're not marrying my daughter!"

Draco could feel his nose break like it had only one other time in his life. Blood started gushing out over his hands that were covering his face.

Hermione heard the yelling and came running from the tent, she put together her father's balled up fist and Draco's face. She ran over to Draco.

"Oh my God, what happened!" She quickly pulled out her wand and did a spell to fix his nose and stop the bleeding.

"Dad, what is wrong with you!" She shouted at him.

"You were in a war Hermione?" He asked, hurt.

"How did this get brought up?" She looked at Draco.

Draco was angry with her for withholding information from them. These two people cared about her so much and she let them live in the dark. "How did this NOT get brought up Hermione?!" he shouted at her. He backed up from her and looked between her and her angry parents.

His eyes were wide, and he had that scared and worried look she had seen in them only a number of times.

"He held you captive and you brought him home to meet us?" her mother asked.

"How much did you tell them," she yelled at Draco as she started shaking.

Draco didn't answer.

"More than you did," her father answered. "Monica, we're going for a walk. When we come back, we expect the truth Hermione, do you understand?" Her dad asked in a dangerous tone.

"Yes," she answered.

"And you," He pointed at Draco, "when I come back you better be gone, or so help me…" he said as he flexed his fist again.

Hermione and Draco watched her parents walk away behind some trees until they disappeared from sight.

"It's going to take a powerful charm to fix what happened here," she said in a shaky voice to Draco.

"You're still not going to tell them!" He remembered what Potter had said about her shielding the ones she loved from the truth.

"What good will the truth do them? It would devastate them to know what I've been through, you saw what happened!" she answered, becoming hysterical.

"Is that what you think, the truth is only important when it's convenient? Have you been hiding things from me too?" He was incredulous.

"How can you ask me that?" she couldn't believe him. "I've told you everything Draco," she said as she stepped closer to him.

"Don't," he stepped back from her. "I can't do this," he said as he turned on the spot and apparated, leaving Hermione to deal with the mess she created years ago.

He came back to the manor garden and in through the living room.


	24. Chapter 24

Ch. 24

"Draco, you're early…" his father began but quickly stopped when he saw swelling and dried blood on his son's face. "What happened!" he asked.

"I can't," was all he said as he quickly walked to his room. After a few minutes a crashing sound came from his room and Draco was screaming with rage. Narcissa started to get up but Lucious intervened. "Give him some time," he said gently to his wife. She sat back down and continued to keep her eyes lifted towards the ceiling where Draco's room was.

Her son had been so happy the day before, and she didn't know what would cause his mood to change so suddenly.

Draco hadn't come out of his room by the evening and by the next morning his mother knocked on his door to see how we was doing. When he didn't answer, she let herself in. "Draco," she called out.

He didn't reply but laid on his bed with his eyes open, just staring at the ceiling.

His mother noticed he was awake. "Draco, did you hear me calling for you?" she asked.

"Yeah, sorry mother," he said in a depressed tone that didn't sound anything like him.

"Do you want to talk about it?" his mother asked him.

He wasn't sure. The one person he wanted to talk to he had left alone in the middle of the forest. "I don't know," he hadn't processed everything yet. He had guilt for leaving Hermione, but not for being mad at her, and now his chances of marrying her weren't good at all. Could he still be with her knowing what she did? Were they still a couple?

The last thought felt crippling to him and he had the urge to have her near him. He sat up and grabbed for his wand and lit the candle that matched Hermione's.

"Hmmm, smells like honey suckle flowers and…your father…and…your smell as a baby…what is this?" she looked at the candle.

"It's a candle I made for me and Hermi…" he couldn't finish her name.

"And I smell what I love, is that it?" she asked.

"Yeah, I made it with the amortentia potion."

"This is brilliant Draco," she said as she took a seat.

He laid back down on his bed and stared at the ceiling and his mother sat there in silence with him. "Maybe I should write to her," he thought. "Not after what happened, writing just isn't enough." He reasoned he couldn't go see her because she was probably still at her parent's house and when he remembered her parents he thought about his anger at her not telling them about the war and the cycle repeated itself.

His mother sat with him until evening and decided to give him his space. It was the second night that went by without any word from Hermione.

The third day he left his room and joined his parents for dinner. He still wasn't himself, not talking much or engaging with his family. The forth day, Lucious was tired of seeing his son so sad and wrote a letter to an acquaintance.

Dear Pansy,

It's been ages since we saw you. Draco was just saying yesterday how nice it would be to see you again, and he's home now for the summer. It would brighten all our spirits if you could find time to come by and say hello.

Regards,

Lucious Malfoy

As Draco moped away the rest of the day, his father sent the letter out. On the fifth day they received a visitor before dinner.

Lucious answered the door and greeted Pansy Parkinson, Draco's ex-girlfriend. He liked the girl and hoped that her and Draco would eventually resolve their issues, but when Draco moved on he had lost hope. He felt that Draco could use the company and maybe he could help rekindle an old flame between the two of them.

"Lucious, how are you?" she simpered.

"Very well, and you?" he returned.

"Same as ever," she looked around. "Is Draco going to visit?"

"Ah, yes," he said as he steered her to the front room to sit down. "Please have a seat and I'll go get him," he said as he left the room and walked up to get Draco.

Draco was back in his room just sitting in there, thinking about what to do and wondering if all hope was lost if Hermione hadn't made contact soon. Just then his dad entered with an excited look on his face.

"What is it?" Draco asked, not stirring.

"You have a visitor," he said, smiling.

"Hermione!" he quickly stood up and walked towards the door.

"No, no Draco, someone else. Clean up and come down to visit," his father instructed.

Draco sat back down on the bed again, feeling dejected. His father could see that Draco wasn't going to be easily moved and he sat on the bed next to his son.

"An old friend is here Draco, you'll really want to see them," he clapped his son on the back and left the room, piquing his interest.

Draco slowly got up and did nothing to clean up his appearance. He hadn't shaved in several days and had a rugged 5 O'clock shadow. He had worn the same bathrobe for the last two days. He walked out of his room and downstairs to see who ever it was.

When he came into the front room he saw his father and mother talking with Pansy. "What are you doing here?" he asked, not hiding his rudeness.

"That sounded rather rude," she replied to Draco who shrugged his shoulders, not bothering to correct her.

"Sorry Pansy," his father began, "He's just under the weather. You know how he gets," he said as he made excuses for his son's behavior.

Narcissa was looking at Draco and saw that he didn't seem happy to see his ex again.

"So Pansy," Lucious tried to start conversation again as he ignored his son, "What have you been doing lately?"

"Just working at a shop in Diagon Alley to pass the time," she added.

Draco snickered and Pansy and Narcissa looked at him. Lucious pretended he hadn't heard anything.

"And what have you two been up to?" she smiled at Lucious and Narcissa.

Narcissa did a half smile and looked at Lucious. "Just enjoying the quiet life, aren't we dear," he looked back at his wife.

"Yes, it's been very quiet," she added to her husband's comment.

"Narcissa means she's afraid we don't get many visitors, so we're glad to have company when we're lucky enough to get some." He continued to flatter her to offset Draco's lack of interest.

"And Draco," she finally called him out. "What have you been doing with yourself," she asked in a disinterested voice.

He sat up a little straighter and looked over at her. Until that moment he wasn't even paying attention to her. "Why did you come?" He didn't want to see the girl that had left him for his best friend. He spared his parents the details of their break up because he knew they liked her. Now he was dealing with two broken relationships instead of just the one.

"Your father said you wanted to visit," she looked questioningly at Lucious who smiled with a guilty look on his face.

Just then there was a knock on the door and Lucious jumped out of his seat to answer.

When he opened the door Hermione was standing there, hair up, and physically put together, unlike his son. She looked like she was on the top of her game.

Her nostrils flared at seeing Lucious at having first arrived, it was hard enough to come at all but she was determined to be strong.

"Well?" he asked with a cold sneer.

"Is Draco home?" She asked through gritted teeth. Neither of them bothered to withhold their dislike of one another.

Lucious didn't move, he didn't want to let her in.

Hermione withdrew her wand. "I'll take the door down if I need to," she threatened. He knew Draco wouldn't like it if he refused to let her enter and opened the door so she could come inside.

Hermione walked through the door with an outward appearance of confidence and took a deep breath once inside. She waited for Lucious to lead her to Draco, but when he just stood there, she herself walked to where the voices were.

When she entered the frontroom she was irritated to see Pansy.

"Ewww, what's this mud blood doing in here?" Pansy threw out, to which no one laughed. Narcissa and Lucious went rigid, seeing if Draco would lose his temper with her.

Draco hadn't noticed Hermione enter the room until Pansy said this and he looked up. His breath caught in his throat at seeing her.

Hermione laughed in a very exaggerated and fake way and looked over at Draco. "Really? She's supposed to make me jealous Draco?"

"Jealous? It's not like he would ever have feelings for you!" Pansy shrieked.

Hermione raised her eye brows as if to challenge her. "You can leave," she said in a dangerous tone.

"What? Like I would even listen to you," she said, incredulous.

"Ms. Granger, you have no right," Lucious started to say in an offended tone when his son cut him off.

"You heard her, get out of here!" Draco bellowed at Pansy.

"I'm never coming back," she said as she stormed off in a huff.

"And that would be too soon for me," Narcissa added as Pansy gave her a contemptuous look and slammed the door.

Draco walked over to Hermione and threw his arms around her. Hermione lightly hugged him and then pushed him away.

"You left me, completely alone, in the middle of a forest Draco," she started to say when her eyes welled up with tears.

"Hermione," he looked completely disheveled compared to her put together look and attitude. He wrapped his arms around her again, holding her body tight to his and with his other hand he wiped her tears.

"The last week was really difficult. That was my problem, I created it so I don't blame you for it." She took a deep breath.

"I don't regret telling them, and I think I have a right to be upset with you too." He said in a soft tone.

"You do," she agreed. "But I've never lied to you. I told you I had to take their memories away, I couldn't risk…" she stopped and looked at his parents who were still in the room.

"Couldn't risk death eaters finding them, I understand." He finished.

"How could you understand removing every memory about you from your own mother's mind? Everything! Everything they treasured about you, gone, until they didn't even know who you were anymore, until you were a stranger standing there in front of them?" She spoke fiercely as tears still rolled down her face.

Draco's mother looked horrified, she thought she understood just what Hermione might have done to her parents.

Lucious on the other hand looked impressed. "That's how you hid your parents during the war?" he asked.

"Do you mind?!" she snapped at him.

"We did look for them, you know." He replied in his cold voice and Hermione shuddered, Draco felt the shudder go through her entire body. "We never found them, you must have hidden them well."

"See why I did what I did!" Hermione pointed over at Draco's father, her hand shaking.

"I'm not saying I know what it's like to do what you did Hermione, because the truth is that I don't. You have more courage and strength than I've ever had. I chose to join and die rather than see my parents suffer, and that was my burden. What I don't understand is why you didn't tell them once it was all over." His voice sounded hurt.

Narcissa was crying and not trying to disguise her tears anymore. She had never understood why Draco so readily forgave them, but the truth was he accepted his fate just to be with them.

Lucious felt faint after hearing what his son had just said and held onto the wall for support.

"I didn't want them to be hurt, I wanted to protect them from all the horrible things that had happened to me. I didn't want my dad to look at me and…and…say I wasn't his daughter anymore. I didn't want to be too broken for them to love me…" Hermione showed her vulnerability and lost the composure she had in coming to his house.

Draco hugged her tightly. "I don't think that's possible. You'll always be your father's daughter. Plus you have the same mean right hook." He tried to laugh but it sounded hollow.

"That muggle hit you?" his father asked about Hermione's dad, incensed.

"He had every right to," Draco replied and looked back at Hermione.

"And you didn't write to me Draco, and I've been catching my parents up all this time hoping you would write or come by or something, but nothing…"

Draco had felt guilty for this and wondered if her lack of writing to him meant things were over between them. "I was unsure about coming by after what happened, he told me he didn't want to see me around you…I couldn't blame him," Draco thought of the incident with her parents that had played in his mind the last several days.

"But after I explained everything they felt terrible. My mom loves you for being honest with her, more than she loves me right now, and my dad said he could give you a second chance." She looked up at Draco and took the sight of him in better than before. "But to be honest" she said as her voice started to crack, "I'm wondering if you'll even want me back."

"I'm sorry I just left you there." He replied as he looked into her eyes, searching them. "I love you Hermione, I'm not going anywhere." She threw her arms around his neck and he leaned in and kissed her for several moments. "I don't want…to be away…from you again," he said in between kissing her.

After they were finished, Narcissa cleared her throat. "Hermione," she got everyone's attention. "Would you please join us for dinner tonight?" she offered.

Hermione was struck by the kindness in his mother's voice, it was softer than she had ever heard it. "Perhaps from all the crying that she was doing?" Hermione thought.

She looked at Draco and he smiled at her. Hermione turned back to Narcissa smiling as well, "Yes thank you." Hermione wondered what spending time at his house would be like, she never imagined she could pluck up the courage to come, but so far she was doing okay. Draco reached for her hand and pulled her back in to him. "I missed you," she sighed as she laid her head on his chest.

Narcissa and Lucious could both see their son's features light up and a smile appear on his face. Having seen that missing from his life over the past week both of them realized just how important Hermione was to him and that without her his life would never be complete.

Draco and Hermione snuggled on the couch and talked until dinner was ready. Draco's parents had eventually uprooted themselves to be in another room, mostly because the constant displays of affection that Draco showed Hermione were making them uncomfortable, and partly because they wanted to talk privately.

After dinner was ready Narcissa asked Lucious to get the two of them. He walked out in to the front room and began to call for them when he noticed they were both fast asleep. He stood for a moment, surprised, and then just took in the sight of them. The complete change in his son due to this one person was astounding to him, he could see he truly loved her, and he could tell her feelings for him were genuine as well.

Narcissa came in to the front room, wondering what was taking Lucious so long, when she saw him watching over the two of them as they slept. It warmed her heart to see her husband gazing thoughtfully at their son and she wiped a tear from her eye. The noise of her hand touching her face made her husband turn around.

"Narcissa?" he whispered softly, "what's the matter?" he put his arm around his wife. Although no one in the wizarding world but Narcissa and Draco would have known, Lucious was typically extremely affectionate and sweet to his wife.

"I like seeing him happy, and seeing you content." She took a deep breath to stop another tear from spilling over. For so long their lives were anything but normal and she didn't know if they'd ever experience any of these 'normal' moments again.

"He's so good, and I was just thinking, he's nothing like me," Lucious whispered in a low tone.

"Nothing like you? I don't believe that, we weren't always like this Lucious..." She paused, "We've both done terrible things." She whispered.

"We have." He agreed.

"The way she shuddered when you spoke about her family…we've been monsters."

He didn't answer but looked at his wife and looked away again to gaze at their son.

"She's good too Lucious," Narcissa pointed out. "Look how happy she makes him. The fact that she was even willing to come here after what happened to her the last time speaks volumes."

Lucious looked again at his wife and furrowed his brow, thinking of an argument. He didn't like her.

"And there's nothing she won't do to keep those she loves safe, her parents or her friends," she remembered how Hermione didn't bend under torture and wasn't afraid to support Potter when he was fighting the dark lord in secret.

Lucious had to agree with her there. "Her efforts are commendable, I'll give her that." He thought about what she said about taking her parent's memories away and couldn't imagine his son having to make a decision like that.

Lucious steered his wife into the dining room and they ate their dinner alone together before retiring to bed themselves.

In the evening Hermione had a bad dream that she was back in the house, being tortured. She was yelling so loudly she woke up his parents and they came rushing out to see what was happening. Hermione hadn't fully woken up herself when Draco was trying to wake her up. When she did open her eyes she saw the familiar living room floor and Draco's parents and became hysterical. She grasped for her wand and pointed it at them.

"Hermione," Draco jumped up in front of her wand and she jumped, shocked.

"Draco?" It was starting to dawn on her that this was different than last time. Draco wasn't going to let anything happen to her. She didn't know how she knew it, but her instincts told her to trust him.

He touched her hand that held her wand and she relaxed her hand and her wand dropped into his hand. He took her hand in his and lightly touched her jawbone with his other hand. "It's okay Hermione, I'm right here. Nothing is going to happen." He began when she came to and threw her arms around his neck and started crying.


	25. Chapter 25

Ch. 25

"What's the meaning of this?" Lucious asked coldly, irritated at being woken up.

"Lucious," Narcissa whispered as she took his arm and led him out of the living room to give Draco and Hermione some privacy. "You do remember what happened last time she was here?" she asked.

Understanding dawned on his features and he instantly felt guilty for his question. He saw the wild look in her eye she had just a moment before, and remembered how wild she looked the night she was brought in and Bellatrix tried to get some answers from her. "If they sleep in the front room she'll eventually wake up and might be reminded again…" Lucious thought. He pressed on his wife's hand and spoke to her. "Maybe they should move up to Draco's room," he said in a tone that showed he was conflicted.

Narcissa did a double take at her husband and smiled slightly at him. She gave him a loving look and he leaned in to kiss her and draped his hand on the small of her back.

She walked away from him and kept looking back at him as she went into the front room to have a quick word with Draco.

"Draco," she whispered to him and he left his place sitting next to Hermione to come talk to his mother.

Hermione was worried they might ask her to leave but she still wanted to spend time with Draco. She hadn't meant to sleep there but it was the middle of the night now.

"Draco, why don't you and Hermione go up to your room so she doesn't get disturbed by waking up in this room again?"

Draco didn't expect this from his mother but didn't argue. He went to pick Hermione up and carry her towards his bedroom.

"I can walk Draco," she tried to put up a fight but it was no good. Draco wanted to be close to her and wasn't letting go. Plus, she was light and easy for him to carry.

Narcissa looked over and her husband had followed her into the living room, an unreadable expression on his face. "What is it?" she asked.

"I don't much care for this room, all the things that happened here…" he said in a detached voice.

"Hopefully, in time, we can create new memories here," she said with a strong voice. "How is it that she of all people has made me hopeful about the future," she reflected on her son being in a relationship with Hermione. It was something to be in their presence, one couldn't doubt true love.

Lucious gave his wife and odd look, had the girl really made her feel that way?

They stood in silence in the dark room until Narcissa turned and started to walk out. Lucious grabbed her hand and pulled her back and kissed his wife again and led her out of the room.

When Draco had got Hermione into his room he walked over to the bed and lightly laid her down. She instantly sat up in bed and looked around his room. He had a four poster bed with green hangings and the Slytherin colors appeared lightly throughout the room. He had pictures up too, and a few posters of quittich teams. One picture was him with his house quittich team when his father had bought the house team new brooms so Draco could win the house cup. She saw that it was also a little messy. He had clothes and some dishes on the floor as well as books scattered everywhere. But best of all, she could smell his scent lingering in the room. She grabbed his pillow and hugged it. He also had some double doors that led outside, she was guessing onto a patio. It was a comfortable place.

Draco watched her as she looked around, wondering if she liked his room. He didn't remember that he had trashed it over the last week and that it was a complete mess. Hermione didn't mention anything about that though. "What do you think?" he asked.

"I like it, it's very…you," she smiled at him and then picked up one of the books off the floor. "But this is mine…" she said as she started to take in the titles to other books that were on his floor. "These are my favorite books!"

"Yeah, I've been reading them," he answered her questioning look.

Hermione gave him a sweet smile. "Read to me?" she asked.

He laid down next to her in bed and cuddled up with her, "you pick," he said softly.

She grabbed a book from the pile without looking at the title, put it in his hand and snuggled close to him.

As he began reading to her she felt very relaxed and was so in love. Hearing her favorite story read in his voice was an exciting experience for her and made her love the stories even more. After he read for a short while she had drifted back off to sleep.

"I love you Hermione," he said as he laid the book down and joined her, falling quickly asleep.

Neither of them had been sleeping well lately so when they did fall asleep they slept in for quite a long time. At about noon Hermione started to stir and didn't want to wake Draco. She quietly got up and left the room, looking for the bathroom. It felt weird for her to creep down the halls of the house she had once escaped from.

She didn't know her way around and had looked behind her as she walked around the corner and bumped directly into Lucious and fell down.

He had a surprised look on his face, but didn't apologize when they bumped into one another. He also didn't offer to help her up.

Hermione looked at him shocked for a moment and then picked herself up. She also wasn't planning to apologize. The looks of surprise on both of their faces were quickly replaced by glares.

"What are you doing?" he asked her.

"looking for a bathroom," she answered coldly.

He nodded that he understood and continued walking down the hall.

"Really!" she half shouted, irritated by his behavior. He couldn't even point her in the right direction. She continued walking and after looking briefly found what she was looking for. She hadn't packed any extra clothes because she hadn't planned to stay longer than to tell Draco off, let alone the night.

When she made it back to check on Draco he was still asleep so Hermione did some spells to clean up his room and decided to take the dishes down to the kitchen. She headed down the stairs and on her way to the kitchen she passed Lucious and Narcissa in the dining room.

She glared again at Lucious as she passed.

When she got into the kitchen she went to set the dishes in the sink and Narcissa came in after her.

"Thanks Hermione, Draco still sleeping?" she had the same friendly tone as she did last night.

"Yeah," Hermione added, she felt weird having stayed the night, especially without asking. "Sorry about dinner, I hadn't intended on staying the night."

"Why don't you join us for Lunch, I'm sure you're hungry," she offered. "Come sit down," she said in a tone that showed she wasn't taking no for an answer.

Lunch with Lucious Malfoy didn't sound like her idea of a good time. She walked out of the kitchen and took a seat as Narcissa announced that Hermione would be joining them. Hermione didn't smile or glare, but just sat there with an unreadable expression on her face.

Lucious looked up at his wife with a look that said he was in pain, but she ignored him as she went in and made something to eat, leaving the two of them alone.

They sat in silence until Narcissa returned, a few times Hermione looked up to glare at Lucious. He was reading his paper and completely ignoring her. He was reminding her of Draco when they were enemies. So arrogant and condescending.

Narcissa sat food down in front of her and sat down next to Lucious, taking the paper out of his hands despite his putting up a fight. Hermione pretended not to notice.

"Did you sleep well," she asked Hermione, trying to start conversation.

"Yes, I'm sorry for last night," she said blushing as she averted their eyes. She was mortified that they had seen her waking up from a nightmare like that.

"Does that happen often?" Narcissa asked in a concerned tone.

Hermione considered the question for a moment, "from time to time," she shrugged as she ate her toast and eggs. "This is good, thank you," she offered. She looked over her shoulder and hoped Draco would wake up soon and join her.

"Draco is usually up by now," Narcissa answered her look. "He hasn't been sleeping well so I suppose he's catching up."

Hermione nodded, not sure what else to talk to them about. She didn't have anything particular she wanted to talk to his mom about. She felt that it would take a long time before she trusted her and wanted to stick to conversation that was light.

"I've got some things that might fit you if you needed a change of clothes," she let Hermione know. Hermione wasn't sure exactly why Narcissa was being so nice to her.

"I was thinking of heading home a little later today," Hermione started to explain when Narcissa cut her off.

"Oh, what's the rush. I'm sure Draco would enjoy it if you stayed for a little while longer." She knew if Hermione left, her son would be leaving too. What her husband said about rarely getting visitors was true and she appreciated the company, especially that of her son who she got to see so rarely as it was.

"What?" Lucious said to his wife. He was hoping Hermione wouldn't stay through the meal she was eating. His wife began to glare at him.

"That's okay, I feel like I've imposed on you. Thank you for being so gracious," Hermione said.

Lucious felt like impose was the correct word. When his wife looked at him imploringly to say something he felt like he had no choice. "We insist," he said, without any trace of rudeness in his voice.

"If you're sure, I would really like to stay with Draco." She added, mostly to herself and then looked at each of them in the eyes, trying to gauge if they were genuine. Lucious nodded at Hermione as if to show his agreement.

Hermione smiled at both of them and took another bite of toast. As she was finishing up Draco had come into the dining room and was surprised to see Hermione eating breakfast with his family on her own. The sight of all the people he loved at one table made him extremely happy.

"Morning," he said to his parents. Hermione turned around to face him. "And morning," Draco said as he bent down to kiss her. She felt weird that he would kiss her in front of his parents.

"I'll grab you something Draco," his mother began, as she got up from the table.

He sat down next to Hermione and laced his fingers in hers. His father was watching him, looking back and forth between his son and his paper.

Draco kept looking up at Hermione and she started to blush. "Why are you blushing?" he pointed out.

His mother came back in with something to eat for Draco and sat the plate down in front of him. Her reappearance took the pressure off of Hermione to answer.

"Thanks," he said as he took up his utensils.

"I'm going to change and get ready for the day," Hermione told him as she started to get up. He was still holding her hand and pulled her back into her seat.

"Why?" he asked.

"I slept in my clothes!" She smiled at him.

"You're beautiful," he said as he kissed her again.

"Draco," Hermione tried to whisper low enough so his parents wouldn't hear. She made a tense face and opened her eyes wide and moved her eyes to his parents, signaling him to look their direction.

"What, my parents?" Draco said without tact, they both looked up. Hermione was still blushing. "Is that why you're blushing, you're embarrassed?" He asked.

Hermione let go of his hand and he still had a pretty good grip so she tried to shake his hand off. He let go and as soon as he did she shot up out of her chair and out of sight. He sighed as she left.

"It might take her some time to get used to us Draco." His mom mentioned. Lucious ignored her and continued reading his paper.

He thought about going after her but remembered what happened last time he walked in on her while changing. "Yeah, but how often is she likely to stay over again?" he asked out loud and then regretted it instantly. He didn't want to put the spotlight on his parents.

"Hermione spoke with us and agreed to stay a little while longer." Narcissa added.

Draco looked at his parents, a little mystified. "You asked her to stay?"

His father folded the paper down to looked at Draco. "Yes, we did," his tone was unenthusiastic.

"And she said yes?" he sounded skeptical.

"Oh, I hadn't laid any clothes out for her, I'll be right back." Narcissa said as she got up from the table.

"She actually agreed?" Draco asked his father again when he hadn't replied.

"Clearly Draco," he said as he sat down his paper and looked at his son who was now smiling.

"What?" Draco took a bite of toast while looking back at his dad.

Lucious sighed.

Narcissa went to her room and collected a few things that might fit Hermione. She didn't know how well some things would match others but she kept a limited supply of muggle clothes in case she ever needed to use the flu network and wanted something she could get dirty. There were a couple tops and a skirt and a pair of shorts. She gathered those up and headed over to Draco's room and knocked on the door before entering.

When she opened the door Hermione had a few of Draco's muggle shirts laid out on the bed, trying to choose between which to wear. Narcissa smiled and handed her the clothes she found. "These might be more comfortable?" She suggested. "Feel free to change them how you would like to," she said before starting to leave.

"Narcissa?" Hermione asked and she turned back around from the doorway. "Does it feel too weird to have me here?" She didn't want to make her feel uncomfortable in her own home.

"No, I'm glad to see Draco happy," she thought for a minute. "He's waited a long time for someone like you," she added before leaving.

Hermione was taken aback by her answer and started going through the clothes she left. She decided to keep on her black pants that she was wearing and took out her wand to tailor one of the shirts she had brought up. She cut the sleeves and neck to be a little more feminine and made the shirt more form fitting. She repined her hair and left part of it up and the rest fell down against her back. She kept one of his muggle shirts on his bed so she could use it as a night gown later. When she was done she headed back downstairs to visit with Draco and his parents.

She sat back down at the table next to Draco and he took in the sight of her. He always thought she got prettier and prettier. They were done eating and normally the family would go their separate ways for a few hours, but they didn't this morning. The family was in uncharted territory.

Narcissa wanted to make herself available so that she was being a good hostess, and Lucious stayed out of curiosity. Ever since this girl had come yesterday and banished his house guest, things had been different. He had seen a change not only in Draco, but in his wife as well.

Draco didn't seem to notice anyone but Hermione, and Hermione felt the same, but was still aware of his parent's hanging quietly in the background. She realized no one was going to break the silence.

"So, what do you guys do for fun?" She asked.

"What do you mean?" Lucious asked.

"What do you usually do together, as a family?" Hermione asked the question nicely but gave him an odd look. She didn't know how to spell it out any clearer.

"We eat together, but not much beyond that…" Draco added and his parents were quiet again.

"Oh," Hermione said with a sad tone. She was expecting a little more. Her family did a lot of activities together.

"What does your family usually do?" Narcissa asked.

"When I'm home I help my mom cook or bake and I watch the sports games with my dad. Draco did that last time we were back and learned a lot about football." She began and then noticed the lack of understanding on Narcissa's face. "Football is a kind of quittich for muggles but played with only the end goals and no brooms," she added. "Also, we play games together almost every night after dinner…"

"Sounds nice," Narcissa added genuinely. "We should do more activities together as a family." When Lucious rolled his eyes Narcissa began again. "No, I'm serious Lucious!"

Draco stood up and grabbed Hermione's hand. "We're going to take a walk and I'll see you at dinner," Draco added, pulling Hemione to come along with him. He pulled her all the way outside so they could walk in the garden.

"What was that about?" Hermione started to ask Draco.

He pulled her close to him. "I just needed to be alone with you. You blush too much when I kiss you in front of my parents so I had to get away." He said in a soft voice. She laid her body up against the trunk of a tree in the garden and put her arms around Draco's neck and pulled him down to kiss her. They walked around the garden for over an hour, where he showed her different plants that they had at the manor and the rest of the grounds. She thought it was beautiful.

Later they headed up to his bedroom. He grabbed a few books and both of them were snuggling and reading in bed when there was a knock at the door.

"Come in" Draco answered and his father came into the room.

The sight of the two of them in bed was a little much for him. He wasn't sure if his issue was with his son growing up or with him dating her. "Your mom wanted to know if both of you could help with dinner in an hour?"

This was due to Hermione's suggestion and she couldn't help even smiling at Lucious. She looked up at Draco for his answer.

"Yes, we'd love to help, right Hermione?" he looked down and saw she was already starting up at him.

Lucious turned and walked out of the room before she could answer. It was clear that his wife had sent him to ask.

"Don't worry about him," Draco said to her. "He's just set in his ways," he began. "Not the old ways!" he corrected himself. "He's actually come a long way just being able to be so talkative with you."

"Talkative? When?" She asked.

"Just now, he was talking to both of us…" he pointed out.

"Yeah, but he doesn't waste one word on me if he doesn't have to," she replied.

"He can be like that most of the time. He wouldn't talk to you at all if he didn't want to." Draco closed his book.

Hermione thought about what he said and remembered the morning, when Lucious had barely spoken to her. She laid her head back down on Draco's shoulder and kissed his cheek. He opened his book back up and started reading.

After the hour had passed both of them got up and headed down to the kitchen to help Narcissa with dinner. Narcissa knew how to cook too like Mrs. Weasley did, using magic to produce what she needed from her recipes. While Hermione could cook muggle food, she hadn't dedicated much time to learning how to prepare actual meals, she had always been too focused on studying to care very much. It was clear that Draco had taken the time to learn because he jumped right in and knew the spells to help his mom.

Hermione wanted to be useful so she grabbed a bowl and started stirring the contents. After a minute both Draco and Narcissa were staring at her.

"What are you doing Hermione?" Draco snickered.

"I'm mixing these together," she explained.

"What about the spell, why are you doing it…like…"

"Like a muggle?" She offered.

"No, I was going to say that," Draco lied. Hermione eyed him as she kept stirring.

"Hermione? Do you know how to do any cooking with magic?" Narcissa asked.

"I don't actually, but I'm a quick learner if you show me the spells," she began.

"Hmm, well what we're doing tonight will require the spells and skills. Draco can do those parts because I only needed one of you for that, and the second is making another dish by magic. Would you mind sitting this one out tonight and I can teach you more about magical cooking in the morning?" She was so polite that Hermione didn't think it was possible to refuse. She left the kitchen to go sit with Lucious Malfoy in the dining room.

"Great, now I get to sit here with him," she thought as she sat down.

He hadn't expected to see her. "Not helping afterall?" he asked.

Hermione thought about ignoring him like he had ignored her, then she considered what Draco said about his father being talkative and decided to make a game out of keeping him talking as long as possible.

"I only know how to cook like a muggle. There wasn't much I could offer," she said a little bitterly.

He didn't add anything but just nodded.

"And you?" She asked.

"What about me?" He looked at her with a cold look.

"Why aren't you helping?" She smiled, knowing she was getting him to talk.

"I don't have to explain myself," he responded.

"I never said you did, it was just a question." Hermione pretended to let the conversation go.

He considered her for a moment and then he went back to ignoring her.

She started again. "It's just that your wife and son are having fun spending time together and you'd rather be out here?"

He sighed, she was getting under his skin.

"Just seems odd to me is all I'm saying."

"And you've said quite enough already," he said, clearly irritated by her.

"Doesn't seem like I've said very much at all!" she returned.

He glared at her and she didn't return the look no matter how hard it was. After a moment she tried again.

"What do you think they're making?" Her voice seemed so loud because of the silence in the dining room.

"Do you always talk this much?" he asked, irritation still in his tone.

"No. Normally I meet people who are polite enough to carry a simple conversation." She shifted in her chair. As she said it she felt like maybe she went a little too far.

She looked back over at him, but instead of glaring like Hermione fully expected, Lucious actually had a faint smile on his lips. Hermione wasn't smiling back. She didn't know whether to take it to mean that he thought she was funny or that he was warning her. His smile reminded her of Draco's and she wanted to believe there was kindness behind it like his son had.

"Very well, Ms. Granger," Lucious began. "I do not know what they are making." He scooted up in his chair a little as he added, "and I'm out here because I do not enjoy cooking as Narcissa does."

Hermione was surprised at getting an answer. "Does that mean that you do know how to cook then?"

"Of course I do, every wizard knows how to do simple cooking spells," he answered her sarcastically, "but apparently not every witch does," he said while making a mocking sad face at her. He was trying to get under her skin now.

Hermione realized what he was trying to do. She knew this kind of banter all too well in getting acquainted with Draco to take any of it personally. Plus, Draco knew far more about her and the things he often said before they became friends were far more mean spirited. She laughed at Lucious's comment and the smirk he was wearing melted from his face.

"I guess you're right," she added another laugh for effect. "After being on the run for a little over a year and a half I probably should have found the time to make it a priority." She was sarcastic right back.

He gave her an odd look and she noticed an unmistakable smile on his lips this time. She had never seen him smile and it made his face look warm. It made her angry that he seemed amused with her retort. He was a big part of the reason that she had to hide during the war. Suddenly she didn't feel much like talking anymore.

She stood up and, clearly irritated and began to walk out of the room.

Lucious wasn't expecting her reaction, after all he hadn't even replied to her comment. "Where are you going? I thought you wanted to talk?"

Hermione turned around and saw his look was genuinely confused. She slowly walked back and sat in the chair, giving him an angry stare again.

He watched her expression, puzzled about why she might have gotten angry. He waited for her to talk and when she didn't, he began. "You're…angry?"

She just looked back over at him and glared to answer his question and then she sighed.

She could tell by his look that he really hadn't tried to upset her.

She decided if she was going to talk to him of all people she couldn't wear her heart on her sleeve, it would be the first thing he would use against her. She was the one who brought up the past, she wouldn't be able to do that with him again and maintain her composure. She wished Draco would hurry up and get done.

"Just impatient," she answered as she relaxed her features on her face and stopped glaring. "I'm hungry," she lied.

"Hmmm, I've never calculated you as an impatient person, quite the opposite actually." He said coolly.

They had fought against one another on a few occasions, it was true. She wasn't impatient. She was careful and considerate about the moves she made.

"But you've been impatient…" she said, remembering his strategy at the hall of prophecy, the one where the prophecy wound up broken and he was punished severely by Voldemort.

He knew what she was referring to and his eyes became wide and then a lot sharper. "The hall of prophecy?" he asked quietly.

She nodded.

"Maybe I didn't want to have more blood on my hands than necessary, Ms. Granger." He seemed to be being honest. "But I paid dearly for that choice, and so did Draco." He added bitterly.

She wanted to ask him a real question now, and wasn't sure if she really should. "But you're glad he's gone?" she whispered, unsure about his response.

He gave her an incredulous look. "How could you ask that?"

She wasn't sure if she had done something wrong or not and just continued to look at him, her mouth slightly open, lost for words.

"Certainly, I am," he said as he rubbed his dark mark over his shirt. Again, his face was convincing.

She wondered if he would have felt the same if the war had gone the other way and Voldemort killed Harry. She knew he could be slippery at times, convincing the minister of magic of his innocence in the past; it hadn't been by mistake that he could be so persuasive. She wasn't buying it. She didn't humor Lucious by giving him any sign of emotion.

He could read her reaction and knew she didn't believe him. It didn't matter to him what she believed but thought he would explain something. "To those that he knew he had persuasion like one wouldn't believe. He was terrifying, and at the same time, the strongest wizard I have ever known. If everyone else was scared of him it was nothing to how those in the inner circle felt about him. He could even read your thoughts, nothing was free from him." He shuddered involuntarily and for a fleeting moment had the same worried and scared look that Draco had in his eyes on occasion. He seemed to get lost in his thoughts for a moment.

She didn't doubt his feelings when he explained it like that. It was the part of Draco she saw in him that made her believe. "I believe you," she said in a soft, reassuring voice.

Her voice interrupted his internal dialogue and he looked back at her for a moment and regained his composure.

He wasn't sure what to say and he had gotten uncomfortable with their conversation. Hermione felt the same way too.

They sat in awkward silence for a moment when Hermione spoke up, "I better go check in on them," she said in a quiet voice as she pointed towards the kitchen.

"Yeah," Lucious said in a dry voice as he readjusted himself.

She walked up to the kitchen and peered inside. She saw Draco and his mom smiling while talking and she wasn't in view as she overheard a part of their conversation.

"She's the one," he said to his mother.

"Draco, are you sure?" she had excitement in her voice.

"Yeah, I've known for quite a while. I'm going to ask her…" at this point Hermione thought this was a conversation she shouldn't have been listening to and instead of walking into the kitchen she walked back to the dining room quietly. She debated leaving again.

Lucious looked up and after seeing it was Hermione, made a disappointed face and looked down. She knew the feeling, that's how she felt about spending time with him also. She decided to start a change of subject since Lucious couldn't be counted on to do so.

"What kinds of things can you cook?" she asked.

"Do you only think about food? This is about the third question you've asked me that relates to it," he pointed out.

She sighed and was going to reply when he spoke again.

"I can make whatever I want really…" he shrugged.

"Show me," she insisted.

"It doesn't work that way. You have to start with a part that already exists, or at least all the ingredients."

"Gamp's law of elemental transfiguration," she whispered out loud, mostly to herself.

"You are a transfiguration teacher…" he pointed out sarcastically.

"Yes, but that doesn't have bearing on one's skill to cook." She said a little rudely. "I understand the magical law and how it applies in relation to transfiguring objects…if I cook like a muggle then multiply, that's one way." She stopped for a moment "But that's not truly how it should be done…" She knew people didn't conjure their food out of thin air, but Molly was so good that it honestly appeared that way. Being at the castle or back with her parents she didn't have to worry about food that much. She hadn't learned when Harry, Ron or her were on the run because neither of them knew how to cook with Magic either.

Just then Draco came back into the dining room and saw her pacing around. "Everything okay?" he asked her and looked between her and his father.

"Just discussing transfiguration laws…" Lucious said while looking at his son and back to Hermione.

Hermione just smiled at Draco, glad he was finally done while he gave his father a skeptical look and looked seriously over at Hermione.

"Had they managed to have a conversation?" He thought.

"When are you going to teach me how to cook?" she pressed.

Draco laughed. "I figured that irritated you, that I know how to do something you don't. Did it feel like potions class all over again?" he teased her.

She made a sour face. "I did great in potions class thank you very much, we can't all be teacher's pet Draco…" she replied.

Lucious snickered and stopped as the two of them looked at him.

Draco looked back at Hermione and grabbed her hand. "Can I ask you to do something for me?" he said in a soft tone.

"What" she asked, matching his quiet voice.

"Spend a couple more days here?"

Up until this point Lucious had been looking away and ignoring them, but he looked at the pair of them again in disbelief. He kept his comments to himself.

"Uh…" Hermione began as she looked over at Lucious. They locked eyes and then he got up and left the room to join his wife in the kitchen, most likely to complain, she thought.

"Please Hermione?" He put his hand under her chin and lightly lifted it up so she was looking him in the eyes. "Please?"

She nodded her head yes to answer his look.

He leaned in to kiss her, still lightly holding her chin as he guided her lips to his. She slowly wrapped her arms up on his neck and when they broke apart she looked into his eyes, wondering if she was ready to make the kind of commitment that she thought she heard him talking about.

He was going to ask her about the look she was giving him when she kissed him again. After a minute Lucious and Narcissa came out to the dining room and they broke apart again. He grabbed her hand as he led her to the table.


	26. Chapter 26

Ch. 26

Narcissa and Lucious had brought the dishes out with them and set them on the table. They were covered so Hermione couldn't see what they were.

When Draco uncovered one he started to explain to her. "Some of these dishes are centuries old family recipes, I hope you like them."

"Centuries old, and you still had them?" She asked, amazed.

Draco just looked at her blankly "…yeah…"

"But that's pretty amazing, isn't it?" His reaction seemed odd to her.

"Not really, pure blood families can trace their roots back for a thousand, sometimes fifteen hundred years…" he replied.

She nearly choked on the water she was drinking. "Fifteen hundred years!" she looked at Draco and then his parents with shock that they didn't share.

Draco handed her a napkin, "Are you okay?"

She worked to compose herself and grabbed the napkin. "Yeah, thank you." She was thinking about her family tree and realized she might be lucky to trace it back over the last two hundred years. She was starting to understand why some families were protective of their pure blood status.

"As I was saying," he began again, "these are from old family recipes. This is Yorkshire pudding, that's a Bedfordshire clanger, and here's a blueberry cobbler." Everything smelled delicious.

She couldn't believe he was that good of a cook. He had only cooked for her one other time and although it was good she had no idea that he possessed this much skill. She was speechless for the second time that night.

As everyone dished up and they began eating and the table was quiet again. "This is wonderful Draco," she commented after her first few bites. He smiled at her and continued eating.

She wanted some conversation so she didn't have to eat in silence, "Narcissa, how did you and Lucious meet?" she asked.

Narcissa took a drink and waited before she answered. "I had known Lucious most of my life, we first met when we were children."

Lucious scooted his chair forward a little. "Our parents both wanted to preserve their pure blood lines so at an early age we were intended for each other. I think you might call it an arranged marriage…" he explained.

Narcissa was surprised her husband shared any information at all since he had been so tense with Hermione as a house guest.

Hermione's eyes became wide and then returned to normal. She wasn't sure what to say to that. "I never would have guessed. How did you first react when you met each other?" she pressed.

Narcissa smiled, "I thought he was…sweet, and definitely cute." She looked over at her husband. "Some things don't change."

Lucious lightly smiled at his wife's comment but didn't want to talk about his feelings for her in front of Hermione. After what his wife had just said, he didn't feel like he could escape it. "I felt…lucky. Lucky that someone so beautiful and smart would want to be with me." He looked down at his food as he spoke.

Narcissa looked back over at Hermione, "See what I mean, sweet." She echoed.

"No, I'm just being honest," Lucious said as he continued to look down but grabbed her hand and brought it up to his lips and kissed the back of it.

Narcissa looked at Draco. "And what about you guys. I know how you met, earlier, but how did you guys…" she trailed off.

"Fall in love?" he finished her sentence.

Hermione looked back at Draco. Neither of them had talked about the moment when they knew they were in love. She was curious to know his answer. He looked over at her and smiled.

"You go first," he said to her.

"I thought you were going to go!"

"No, you."

"Okay, fine. Well, I think it was when I asked you to go to Hogsmead with me and I thought you would say no; I started to get a little nervous. I didn't know then what that feeling was, but when I look back on it now I think it was the start." She was blushing as she finished and also looking down.

"I knew it," he said in an arrogant way.

She gave him a skeptical look. "Yeah right, I didn't even know it at the time."

"We went to the three broomsticks and after that fire whiskey you kept looking at me…in a way you hadn't before. I suspected you might have liked me." His tone was self satisfied.

"Well how did you know it wasn't just the whiskey?" she asked playfully.

"Because I see how you look at me now," he said in a low voice. "But I wasn't sure at the time."

"What about for you?" she asked.

"It was when you exploded that pumpkin all over me before Halloween. You slipped and hit your head and got hurt pretty bad." His voice was quiet as he remembered her being hurt and how he debated whether to carry her or not.

Hermione remembered the details she had heard Madame Pomphrey talk to Professor McGonigal about when she was still in the hospital wing and how Draco stayed by her side.

"Well, I knew that was the beginning…"

"You took such good care of me," she said as she reached out for his hand. They both looked at one another and looked away again smiling.

Both his parents couldn't deny the chemistry Draco and Hermione had between them.

Draco changed the subject. "I've got a few errands I need to run tomorrow, but would you mind keeping my mother company?"

Hermione did a double take for a minute because she didn't understand why she couldn't go with Draco but didn't want to appear to be rude to his mother. Her kindness was starting to cause Hermione to like her against her better judgement.

She caught Narcissa's glance and returned it with a smile. "Sure," she said in her best confident voice to hide the confusion she was feeling.

Narcissa smiled to herself and looked up at Lucious who didn't return her smile. He hadn't been in on the conversation that Draco had earlier with his mother.

After dinner Draco and Hermione were finally able to be alone. His parents went to bed and they both sat by the fire in the front room, Hermione sitting on the floor as Draco laid his head in her lap.

"Why can't I go with you tomorrow?" she asked now that they were alone.

"I have some errands to run, plus this will give you a chance to see how to cook. It shouldn't take you long to pick up on. I still can't believe you don't know how," he laughed at her.

"I'm glad I can make you laugh," she said as she leaned down to kiss him. He reached up and put his fingers through her hair and lightly held the back of her neck to keep the connection.

Hermione started to get up to move closer to his body and as she did Draco's head hit the floor.

"Ouch, why did you do that?!" he asked.

"I'm so sorry," she tried to go back to the seated position but Draco held the back of his head and sat up.

"How sorry?" he said as he faked a sad face.

"I can't believe you! Did that even hurt?"

He stood up and as he did Hermione did too. "Not that bad," he said as he smiled. Then he reached for her and pulled her close to him and kissed her again. "I just wanted to get closer, and I love that look you get on your face when I drive you crazy."

Hermione gave him another incredulous look and pushed him away, slightly laughing.

They were making so much noise laughing that Lucious came out of his room to tell his son to keep it down. As he rounded the corner he saw his son holding Hermione and laughing and kissing her, and he saw the smile she had for his son was nothing like the contemptuous glances she always saved for himself. Unescapable was the thought in his mind that he would have her as a daughter in law one day. He went back the way he came and back into his room.


	27. Chapter 27

Ch. 27

The next morning Draco left early and didn't wake Hermione. He lit the candle so she could rest peacefully.

He knew he wanted to propose to Hermione in the next few days and he wanted to make things right with her parents. He didn't want to propose without her father's blessing.

After he got ready he went down to the garden to apparate and wound up in a wooded area not far from her parent's house. He didn't want to go directly to their yard in case they were still angry with him as he suspected they would be, even though Hermione didn't seem to think so.

He found the street they lived on and walked down until he reached their house. He felt nervous after the last time he had seen them. The old him would have never felt nervous to talk to any muggle. He could see how much he had grown, but couldn't focus on that now.

He walked up to the steps and knocked on the door. He heard someone inside and as the door swung open it was her father who answered. Draco took a step back to be out of easy punching range and this move wasn't lost on Wendell.

"Mr. Granger," Draco began, "I…I wondered if we could talk." The plan had seemed good when he thought about it the night before, and even this morning. But now, it seemed stupid and he wondered if he should have come at all. He noticed Wendell looking at him apprehensively as he kept his hand on the door and opened it to admit the young man on his front step.

"Why don't you meet me in the dining room," he said to Draco in a flat tone.

Draco walked back to the dining room and sat down, waiting, as Wendell came in with some tea he had ready. He set it down on the table and took a seat, as he did he just looked at Draco with an awkward look.

"Pretty brazen of you to come back here." He offered to Draco as he took a drink of tea.

Draco was starting to think that getting his blessing was never going to happen and perhaps he should just leave. This was probably similar to how Hermione felt when she was with his father. She didn't leave, so he couldn't.

"Mr. Granger, we may never be able to see eye to eye because of the past, but that doesn't change my feelings for your daughter." He cut to the chase.

Wendell set his cup down and considered Draco for a minute. "Or her feelings for you…How do you know she doesn't have a psychological disorder after what's happened to her? She might have Stockholm syndrome." Wendell held his forehead as he thought about his daughter and put his hand back down by his cup. "She has nightmares, who knows if you're a part of those."

Draco had wondered if he was ever in Hermione's nightmares, but the thought didn't make sense because they had both slept better ever since sleeping together. Draco spoke up, "we both have nightmares, and she's in most of mine…" Draco felt himself stop breathing. "You have no idea of the things I've done, of the things I've seen. I had to join or watch my parents be killed, and I tell you this not to make you feel any sympathy, but to tell you even then, it wasn't a decision I made lightly."

"But your parent's chose this, didn't they? What kind of family puts their child through that?" Wendell seemed exasperated.

"What kind of person loves her family so much she removes all their memories…" Draco said this not as a judgement. "War makes people do terrible things."

Wendell locked eyes with him when he spoke of his daughter's actions. Actions that hurt him deeply and that he would never believe her possible to have committed.

Draco could see the emotion on Wendell's face. "Regardless of how what she did made you feel, she kept you alive. There were people looking for you and your wife with the purpose of torturing and killing you. Because of Hermione that didn't happen."

Wendell had inhaled sharply when Draco spoke his daughter's name. It was a shock to Wendell that Draco spoke this information without any emotion on his face.

"Would you have been the one…" he asked.

"No, I didn't know. When Hermione came over we talked and my father overheard. He's the one who told us you were being looked for and that they were unable to locate you."

They sat in silence as Wendell considered the information.

"Where's Hermione?" he asked.

"She's back at my house, sleeping."

"That house she was held captive in? Are your parents there?" Draco could hear her father's fear and accusation in his voice.

"…yes…" he took a breath thinking about how to reassure him. "My mother didn't have much of a choice, and isn't the person she was. She's worked very hard to get to know Hermione."

"And your father?!"

"We have an understanding…" he thought about how he used the cruciatis curse on his father and that he wasn't afraid to show his father that he would go to any lengths to keep Hermione safe.

Wendell glared at Draco, "How do I have any assurance that you will keep her safe, especially from him?"

"I'm prepared to do whatever I need to in order to protect her, my father knows this. I made it clear to him that if he presents a threat to her, I'll be prepared to take any necessary measures. He is quite aware. You're forgetting to factor in how capable Hermione is herself, she's more skilled than almost any magical person I've ever encountered and he's no match for her." Draco explained.

Wendell was taken aback to see the change in Draco's demeanor and how resolute his features got when he asked about Hermione's safety. With the things Draco had done that Wendell could only guess at, he didn't doubt for a second that Draco was telling the truth and would protect his daughter, even against his own father if need be. He was right too that Hermione was skilled, but he wasn't aware that his daughter was quite so skilled.

"When you say more skilled than any magical person? What does that really mean?" He wondered why his daughter wouldn't have mentioned this.

"She's one of the most famous people in the wizarding world because she aided Potter to take down the dark lord. There isn't a person who doesn't know her name or how brave she is. She can do magic after just reading a spell out of a book, and there isn't anything she can't do…except cook I guess." Draco finished, smiling as he thought about Hermione.

After hearing his explanation Wendell could see how much Draco valued his daughter. Even in the non-magic world she wasn't much of a cook. This was why Monica was always asking Hermione to help her in the kitchen, in hopes of teaching her. Hermione had never mentioned how high her status in the wizarding world was and it made Wendell proud to hear.

"I do have to say one thing for you Draco," he began. "As much as I don't like the history here, I appreciate that you told us about the war. You've been honest with Monica and I." He was starting to feel his respect for Draco grow. He knew it couldn't have been easy for the man in front of him to visit after what had happened last time.

Draco just nodded, not sure what to say.

"How would it work then, with you and Hermione. She's famous for taking down a guy you fought for. I can't imagine what responses people will have for you."

"I'm prepared to take criticism for how I've behaved in the past; I deserve it. Hermione doesn't deserve any of it and I am worried about how any comments from other people may affect her." Draco held his head in his hand while he admitted this to her father.

Wendell could see that Draco was truly troubled about this. "The best advice I can give is, don't shield those you love, it ends up making things worse. Hermione is strong, she'll know how to handle this."

Draco looked up, what Wendell said resonated with him and he nodded back at her father. He had to remind himself that he came here to ask him something. He felt that if he didn't ask now he never would.

"Mr. Granger, I'd like you to…reconsider…if I could have your blessing." He felt nervous again.

Wendell locked eyes with Draco again and after a moment nodded his head. "Yes." He said flatly. He felt it was the right choice and that his daughter was respected and would be cared for by the man in front of him.

Draco thought he might not have heard him right. "You said yes?" he began to smile, it was almost more than he hoped for. He depended on having another broken nose, but that hadn't happened.

Wendell repeated himself. "Yes, Draco, you have my blessing," he put out his hand for Draco to shake.

Draco grabbed his hand and couldn't stop smiling. Afterwards the two men drank their tea in silence until a few minutes later when Monica woke up and saw Draco.

"Draco!" she said, shocked to see him. She went over and gave him a hug. "How's Hermione?" she asked, smiling.

"She's good, she was sleeping when I left," he added.

"Sounds like you Monica," Wendell said as he smiled at his wife.

"Do you guys have plans for the day?" she asked as she sat next to her husband and spoke to Draco.

"Well…yeah. I'm planning to propose," he said softly, not sure how Monica would take the news.

She inhaled sharply and gasped, holding her hands to her face in surprise. As she dropped her hands he saw she was smiling.

"You are! Oh, she's going to be so happy!" Monica offered. "I was wondering why she hadn't come back with you."

"She's going to be working on spells to learn how to cook while I'm out making plans today." He smiled.

"Learn to cook! I wish her the best of luck. We've been trying for years with not much progress…" she returned as she poured herself some tea.

Draco smiled, somehow he could believe that of Hermione. She didn't need to learn how, he could always cook for her. Suddenly he wished he was with her, teaching her himself.

Draco took his last drink of tea. "I apologize that I'm cutting my visit short, but I needed to do a few other things before going back home."

He stood up and Monica gave him another hug and Wendell walked him to the door and shook his hand. "Take care of my little girl Draco."

"Believe me, I will." He returned as he walked off the step and back toward the wooded area. Once there he apparated to Diagon alley.


	28. Chapter 28

Ch. 28

Diagon alley was gaining back some of the vibrancy it had lost during the death eater days. When he walked through the streets people would do double takes when they saw him. Draco didn't have as bad of a reputation as he thought he did. People did remember what his family had done, but the wizarding world saw him as a child who was a product of the environment he was raised in and didn't blame him. His parents however were often the subject of intense ridicule. People were glad to see how well he turned out after how he had been raised; being appointed to his post at Hogwarts did much to add to his credit.

He went into Gringotts and presented his key to the Goblin at the front. His family had one of the oldest vaults in the bank. He noticed a flyer behind the counter with Potter, Weasely's and Hermione's picture on it that read: WANTED, THIEVES. The whole wizarding world had heard of the daring break in to Gringotts and while the rest of the wizarding world had praised their actions and moved on, the Goblins felt that the break in could affect the publics view of security at the bank and continued to brand them as trespassers. They were banned from the bank and a flyer was put up to make an example to others should they get any wild ideas.

Since his family did have one of the oldest vaults the head manger came to see him directly to his vault.

"Young Mister Malfoy, it's a pleasure," the goblin said.

Draco knew he had influence with the bank. He pointed over to the flyer that was pinned to the wall. "What's the meaning of this?" he asked him.

"Those were the thieves that broke into the vault of your aunt Lestrange," the goblin pointed out, sure that Draco knew who the three in the picture were.

"Thieves? These are the hero's who stopped the dark lord," he looked at the goblin questioningly. "Surely, you don't prefer he was still in power?" Draco asked.

"No," the goblin shuddered. "But a thief is a thief. We must not make exception for robbers Mr. Malfoy." He said politely.

"I see." Draco said as he thought for a minute. "I planned to go to my vault today, but I think I'd rather close my account."

"Close your account? But…your family has had an account here for several generations?"

"Yes, the contents can be delivered or are they able to be picked up by myself today?" Draco said, quite intent on finishing the transaction.

"Come, Mr. Malfoy, surely there's been a miscommunication." He offered.

"I'm not sure there has been," Draco sneered. "Gringotts is resolute in displaying a picture of my fiancé," he said as he pointed over to the flyer "and refers to her as a thief and a robber. I'm sure I heard you correctly."

"I had no idea, would I had known…" the goblin backtracked.

"Would you have known you would have given her the proper respect?" said Draco, doubtfully. "There's no sense in me having an account where my wife isn't going to be welcome." He finished. His heart felt full at professing Hermione to be his fiancé and wife. He still needed to ask her.

His profession to the goblin was getting him a lot of attention from those in the bank. He noticed most of the goblins had stopped working and that customers were staring at him. If loyal customers began closing their accounts and the word got out, it could further undermine the image of the bank.

The goblin walked over to the flyer and took it down, walked back over to Draco and ripped it up. "I believe that clears matters up?" he asked, his tone angry and disappointed.

"Oh, yes, quite." Draco replied as if to say all matters were settled. The irritated goblin took him down to his vault, glaring at him most of the way while Draco pretended not to notice. He hadn't come to the bank for this purpose, but was happy to be able to use his influence for something to benefit Hermione.

When they got to the lowest levels of Gringotts, the goblin opened the vault. There were many things inside even though Lucious had paid quite a few galleons for his freedom. He walked until he found an old family heirloom, a goblin made diamond ring that was stunning to behold.

The goblin noticed his people's own work be placed into Draco's pocket and instead of irritated became resentful of Draco. Both him and his wife were thieves as far as he was personally concerned. "You and the girl will make a nice pair," he said as he smiled at Draco. Draco was surprised and thanked the goblin, he was too happy to notice the real meaning behind the goblin's words.

Draco returned to the surface and once out of the bank stopped by a flower shop to get something pretty for Hermione. He looked through some of the arrangements that were present and decided to go talk to the front counter for help when he heard someone call out to him.

"Malfoy?"

Draco turned around at the familiar voice, "Potter, what are you doing here?" he asked a little too harshly.

"Looks like I'm buying flowers…what else?" Potter offered in a friendly way. "So how are things going with Hermione?" he asked.

"Good," he softened his tone when he realized that she must have told her friends about them.

"Yeah, I admit I was surprised at first, but I could tell at New Year's that she was in love." After Harry said it he felt weird. "That's what Ginny says anyways…"

"Are you two?" he tried to ask when Harry nodded.

"Yeah," he replied. "Wait, together or in love?"

Draco shrugged, he meant together but it was kind of the same difference. "Both."

"Well yeah, and you and Hermione…" he wanted to see what Draco's feelings for her were. "are you guys in…love." Harry wished he had never come into the store.

Draco hesitated and pulled out the ring he had in his pocket and showed it to Harry. "I'm going to ask her," he started to feel nervous and swallowed hard when he said it.

Harry just looked from the ring back to Draco, "could he be serious?" Harry thought. They both stood in awkward silence as Draco put the ring back in his pocket.

When Potter didn't say anything Draco tried to talk again. "You should be able to get into Gringotts now. I just got them to take that flyer down."

"How did you manage that?! Not even the minister of Magic was able to persuade them. They actually sent him back a howler for bringing up the subject." Harry Remembered.

Draco smiled lightly. "I told them I was closing my account, my family has one of the oldest vaults there. Then they took the flyer down." Draco made it sound so easy.

"Well I haven't had access to my money since the war." Harry added. "I want to stop in there but I'm a little hesitant after the last time…"

Draco was taken back to how he felt today at going to Hermione's house and talking to her father. He had recently felt the same way. "Let me grab some flowers and I'll head over there with you."

"Seriously?" Harry asked.

"Sure Potter, give me just a minute," he said as he turned around and ordered a medium arrangement of lilies and roses and headed out with Harry.

When Draco walked back into Gringotts the goblins stopped working again. He had already tried their patience by threatening to close his account, and the manager shared with the other staff about the goblin made ring he had. Now he was bringing someone known to be the greatest thief Gringotts had ever known right into their midst.

The manager ran right out of his office, shocked. He slowly walked up to Draco and Harry. "Mr. Malfoy?" was all he uttered.

"My friend here wishes to access his account?" Draco returned. He used the word friend very liberally.

The goblin waited for a moment before speaking again. "And do you have your key?" he said, not bothering to address Harry with respect.

"Yep," He managed to have his key on him by a happy accident. He had been asking Ginny to go to his vault and to take his key when she told him she didn't need his money and threw his key at him just that morning. He handed the key over.

"This way," he said as he turned and walked away. Harry turned to look at Draco, wondering if he was joining him.

"Let's go Potter," he motioned for Harry to start moving.

It was a sign of how much they both had changed that Harry trusted going into the bank with Draco, let alone down into the vault. Harry knew that once inside the passage there would be virtually no way out. Gringotts had the highest security of any place he knew.

They headed into the cart and set out for his vault. They didn't have to travel very far when all of them got out and stood in front of the vault and the goblin opened it.

Harry had a pretty good sized mountain of gold and his amount of wealth surprised Draco. Then he realized that he always considered Potter to be poor only because he had always considered himself better than him. Discovering yet another character flaw about himself Draco started to frown. He looked cross as he stood and waited for Harry to be done.

When Harry was done, they headed back up and out and the goblins watched as another thief left their bank that day.

"That was amazing!" Harry said when they got out. "Thanks!"

"No problem. I've got to get back," Draco said as he patted his pocket, looking visibly nervous.

Harry could see that Draco was nervous and as Draco turned to leave Harry called out to him. "Malfoy," he said as Draco turned around. "Don't worry, she's going to say yes." Harry reassured.

Draco gave him the first genuine smile Harry had ever seen on his face as he turned to leave.


	29. Chapter 29

Ch. 29

When he got back to the house it was nearly dinner time. So much had happened that he hadn't expected that day and it ended up delaying his plans.

Hermione had spent the day with his mother in the kitchen trying to learn to cook magically. It turned out that Hermione could do the spells just fine with a little bit of expert teaching and practice, and was a master by dinner time. When they sat down to dinner Narcissa proudly announced that Hermione made the whole thing.

Draco smirked at Hermione and took the first bite. "This is pretty good," he returned as she beamed at him.

Lucious pushed his plate forward as if to signal that he wasn't hungry.

"Honestly Lucious," Narcissa said in a severe tone.

"Maybe you think I would poison you?" Hermione offered in a flat tone as she took a bite.

Draco ignored his father and continued eating, then he pretended to grab at his throat and made a face as if he had been poisoned. Everyone laughed except his father.

Lucious pushed himself. He was going to have to accept that Hermione was going to be a part of his family. He didn't want to ruin the good mood that was at the table.

He slowly took a bite of one of the dishes and then nodded his head in Hermione's direction. "This is very good…Hermione." He said in light tone.

"Thank you," she said in a dignified way as they all finished their dinner. When they were done, Draco suggested they all go out to the garden to enjoy the evening. She was disappointed, hoping for some alone time.

When she came out many of the bushes had full flowers and others were blooming, she hadn't noticed them looking that way in the morning. It was breathtaking. She held his hand and walked through the garden with him as his parents walked arm in arm on the other side.

He walked with her to a bench that had an arrangement of lilies and roses that he had bought earlier that day. "These are for you," he offered.

"Me? Draco, that's so sweet!" she said as she picked up the flowers and took in their scent in a deep breath. "They're beautiful."

Draco got down on one knee and looked up at Hermione who was still smelling her flowers, as she noticed him on one knee she lowered the flowers down and looked at him in shock.

He grabbed her hand, "Hermione, you're the best person I know, my best and only friend in this world, and I want to spend the rest of my life as your husband. Is it possible for you to do me the honor of being my wife?" He felt nervous and noticed he was shaking a little bit. She bent down and kissed him as tears ran down her face. He stood up and continued kissing her as he moved the flowers out of her hand and back onto the bench. Then he broke the kiss and wiped her tears away.

Draco smiled at her, "so does this mean no," he joked with her.

She lightly swatted his arm. "I want to be your wife Draco," she added as another tear fell and she laid her head on his chest. He grabbed her tightly and hugged her.

His parents felt honored to be able to witness their son's proposal, even Lucious. He walked closer to the both of them and whispered. "Did you have a ring Draco?" He hoped Draco hadn't overlooked this part, he was pretentiously relying on Draco's good breeding to teach Hermione how to carry herself in a more refined way now that she had accepted.

"Oh," he pulled Hermione away slightly as he reached into his pocket and pulled out the most stunning ring she had ever seen and presented it to her. She inhaled sharply and looked from Draco to the ring, frozen.

He grabbed her hand after she didn't move and gently straightened out her fingers and slid the ring onto her finger. It fit perfectly. "This is gorgeous," she managed to say.

He put his hand under her chin and lifted it so that she was looking at him, she still had tears pooling in her eyes from the proposal. "You're gorgeous Hermione," he said as he kissed her again. They began kissing so passionately that Lucious coughed loudly to break them apart.

As they looked over at his parents Narcissa offered her congratulations to the happy couple and Lucious had a faint smile and nod that showed his approval and they left the garden so Draco and Hermione could be alone.

The idea of getting married started to settle on Hermione and the excitement took over. "I have so many people to tell! I need to write my mom and dad, oh, and Harry and Ginny!"

Draco laughed lightly. "They already know," he sat down on the bench and motioned for her to come sit down as well. "I saw your parents and got your father's blessing this morning," he said as she looked at him with surprise, "and I ran into Potter in Diagon Alley."

"You actually talked to Harry?" She remembered that Harry and Draco that were enemies.

"Yeah," he said, nonchalantly.

"Wow, I'm sorry to have missed that," she laughed and then looked at the ring on her finger again. The diamond was so brilliant that it appeared to be glowing softly.

"I was thinking," he started hesitantly, "maybe we should throw an engagement party, invite your friends and parents?"

"Where would we even hold a party?" she asked.

"At the manor, of course!" he answered. "Are you forgetting we have this whole big house?"

"But this is your parent's house Draco, inviting people that fought against them?" It seemed like a recipe for disaster to her.

"It's just that when I spoke to your father he asked me what people would say about us being together since we were on opposite sides of the war. Potter was surprised, he looked at me like I was crazy. I just want everyone to see that what we have is…real."

"You mean, you want to show people that I'm not under a curse or a love potion by agreeing to marry you…" she threw in.

"And assure your dad that you don't have Stockholm syndrome…"

"What?!"

"People might think that way, let's head off some of the talk by throwing this, plus it will be fun, you'll get to show off your ring." He smiled at her as he grabbed her hand.

She looked at him apprehensively and then agreed. They spent the rest of the night talking out the details and setting a date for a week out.


	30. Chapter 30

Ch. 30

The next morning Hermione and Draco came down to breakfast together. Lucious and Narcissa were already at the table reading the paper when the others took a seat.

Narcissa was over her husband's shoulder reading an article that he was also looking at and while they stole glances at their son. When they were done, Lucious set the paper down and slid it over to Draco. "It looks like you might have caused a scene in Diagon Alley yesterday Draco." His father didn't sound happy or displeased with him.

Draco picked up the paper and saw a picture of him and Potter inside Gringotts. "Where did they get this?" he asked as he started reading the article.

Hermione looked on as he read, "oh, written by Rita Skeeter…" she said aloud.

"So?" Draco returned.

Hermione read the article with him:

The boy who lived, or the boy who has nine lives as I like to call him, was spotted yesterday with the most unlikely person, Hogwarts Potions Master Draco Malfoy. Mr. Malfoy, many of us remember, was lead into the dark arts by his parents Lucious and Narcissa Malfoy. After his parents dissent into shame after the war, young Draco has turned his life around due to the support of the wizarding community. This once misguided child has turned into a man who appeared to help Potter into the bank that still has him listed, as well as Ronald Weasley and Hermione Granger, as wanted thieves. Everyone remembers the daring break in and escape by the trio that helped to take down the dark lord.

Mr. Malfoy was seen talking to a head manager at the bank earlier that day and demanded the flyer be taken down or that he would close his account. This reporter is glad that someone was able to get the goblin run bank, notorious for taking a hard line with wizards, to change their minds. His reason, however, is more shocking than his request. Heard by many witnesses at the bank that day, was that his fiancé was listed on the flyer in question. Is it possible he could mean Ms. Hermione Granger?

Many of my readers, and even myself having struck up a friendship with this girl in her youth, just don't believe this could be true! Hermione Granger is known for her daring, intelligence, and being a muggle born witch. Many of you will ask how she could be received into a family that has been known to torture and kill muggle born wizards and witches?

Although the paring of these two young people seems unlikely, some people already believe it. "They do teach at the school together, and who knows, maybe they got lonely?" Doris Crockford added. Others have seen proof of a long standing romance. "When I was at school they came walking in to every meal time together and they appeared inseparable to me," Travis Bones from Gryffindor house comments. "Anything I did in professor Malfoy's class she seemed to know about and made a point to talk to me about." The words from this young Gryffindor do hint that there could be a romance between the pair. We will have to stay tuned to know for sure.

Hermione scoffed at many points during the article and was angry about the things that Rita had printed about Draco, but not necessarily about his family. She knew from the start of dating Draco that those things would come up eventually.

Suddenly an owl appeared with a letter addressed to her. Draco took the letter from the bird and gave it over to Hermione. It was from Harry.

Congrats Hermione,

I saw Draco yesterday and figured he'd already proposed, especially since the article today. I know what you're thinking, but you won't be able to blackmail Rita this time, she is registered as an animagus now, I know, I've checked. Let's plan to get together soon! Ginny says hi!

-Harry

She lowered the letter slowly, she had been thinking about revenge on Rita for her article and didn't like that she had lost her leverage over her.

Draco was afraid of Hermione's name being drug through the mud and it was already happening less than 24 hours after his proposal. "I'm sorry Hermione," he didn't want to look at her.

"What are YOU sorry for?" she asked, her tone angry, not because of Draco but because of Rita Skeeter.

He just looked at her.

She looked at his parents and they were just staring at her like Draco was. They knew that by accepting Draco's proposal she was going to have to share in their ridicule as being a member of their family. All of them wondered if she might change her mind.

Narcissa spoke first. "Hermione, this is what you will hear if you choose to become a member of this family…"

Hermione looked at her and spoke in an angry tone. "If? So you're all waiting for me to change my mind?" she said as she looked at all of them and rested her gaze on Draco.

"That's your choice," he said as his voice cracked, his heart breaking.

She wanted to scream but instead she used her wand to create several little yellow canaries and paced the room, thinking of a strategy for the personal attack that was launched. When she drew her wand they all flinched.

"First of all, Draco, I love you and I'm not going anywhere." She said in a matter of fact tone. It was the same thing he had said to her when she asked if he would take her back after the blow up with her parents.

"Second, I can't stand that Skeeter woman and she knows it. When I went to school she wrote the nastiest stories about me in the prophet and I got all sorts of hate letters because of her. I found her spying on me one day and captured her in a jar."

The family was taken aback by this. "Hermione, what are you talking about?" Draco began.

"She's an animagus, a beetle to be exact. I found out she wasn't registered with the ministry and held her until she agreed to stop writing nasty stories about people."

"And of course, we're the bad guys," Lucious remarked sarcastically.

"Well if the shoe fits, Lucious," she said without emotion. Her comment was rude but Draco didn't mind, it was accurate and he knew his father could stand up for himself.

"Harry just wrote to say she is registered with the ministry now, so I can't use that as a strategy."

"What are you wanting to do exactly? Aren't you the one who tells me to let it go?"

Just then an owl came in holding a red envelope. Draco detached it from the bird and opened the howler.

"Ms. Granger, I'm appalled at you for your choices! I expected better of the girl that helped to defeat the dark lord. You disgust me," signed Mrs. Pruget. Apparently she was a Rita Skeeter fan because no one in the room was familiar with her name.

Draco became deeply angry at this letter addressed to his fiancé and agreed with Hermione. She raised her eyebrows at him, as if asking him what he thought now.

"Let's talk strategy." He said as he got up from the table.

Hermione and Draco planned to keep their party on track and sent out invites for their engagement party to their friends that would take place at the end of the week. The rest of the time they talked about what strategy to use to combat the public conversation. Lucious typically invited himself to these conversations and was present to hear what they both were planning and offered suggestions. Narcissa stayed out of it because it made her too unhappy to think about.

During the week, there were many times when Draco went off to one place or another delivering some invitations by hand or to get a break from the house. On those occasions she usually sat in the living room and talked with Lucious about her plans. After the howler, Hermione was surprised that she didn't get many other letters about the article, that hadn't happened in the past.

Lucious enjoyed hearing Hermione strategize and how passionate she got when she was angry. He knew that he was mostly to blame for her getting this negative press because of his actions during the war and his reputation in general. He did his best to be supportive to the both of them during this time.

"I was thinking, why don't you just invite her to the party?" Lucious threw out there.

Hermione was taken aback. "Why, so she can write that you and Narcissa cursed me into marrying your son somehow?" She was usually extremely blunt with Lucious and didn't worry about hurting his feelings.

He quickly grew to like that about her and they would typically have very open discussions. When this happened usually Draco and Narcissa would remove themselves so they didn't get uncomfortable. Neither of them would watch their tempers with each other but that was just the kind of relationship that Hermione and her new father in law had with one another.

"What does it matter if she writes that? Most people will certainly think so anyways…" He added.

"I don't think so, she's not invited." Hermione added abruptly.

"Well, you can't blackmail her, so you will need to bait her. I don't know why you don't take it from me as someone who has that particular skill." He added.

He piqued her interest because she knew he had done well to fool people and get things he wanted. "And what do you suggest?" she asked in a slightly haughty tone.

Lucious sighed, "Start by inviting her, and then tell her you have your reservations because of the past. Give her others she will want more than you, such as Potter. It's pretty simple Hermione, I'm surprised you hadn't already thought of this," he dug at her.

"It's not usually in my nature to give up my friends, you ought to know that by now…" she trailed off as he did one of his faint smiles at her comment. She considered what she had to say and grabbed some of the parchment on the table to write to Harry.

Dear Harry and Ginny,

I know this sounds crazy, but how would you feel about being the focus in the prophet for the next few weeks? I know I'm asking a lot, but if it's not okay I will respect that.

Your friend always,

Hermione

She folded the paper and sealed the envelope.

"That letter is for Potter, isn't it," Lucious asked, smiling because she had taken his advice.

"And so what if it is?" she asked. He smirked at her.

She sent the letter off and came back into the room where Lucious was.

"You know, you need to work on that tone you have with me," he began.

She looked up at him with a surly look and then softened. She knew he was a little right. "I'll think about it." She added as she smirked back.

Later that evening Draco had arrived back home and Harry had written back to her that he was fine having the extra attention. It was second nature for him considering the way he had grown up in the spotlight. He couldn't go anywhere without appearing in the paper anyways, so it wasn't much of an ask as far as Harry was concerned.

After reading the letter she approached Lucious. "So," she began. "Harry wrote back to say he was fine with your idea. What do you suggest from here?" She was polite while asking him.

"I don't believe this," he started. "You're actually asking me for advice?" he was sarcastic as he looked at his wife and Draco.

"And notice my tone, it was nicer than usual," she pointed out, irritated as she rolled her eyes.

"It was!" Lucious feigned surprise and then began to answer her question. "Did you write to your reporter friend yet?" he asked casually.

"Not my friend, but I'm planning to write now," she added.

"Write as I told you before and after you mention your apprehensions tell her Potter will be there and that she's invited. Tell her if she behaves she can come to the wedding…"

"That sounds like a good idea," Draco added as he looked at Hermione.

"We haven't even set a date!" Hermione replied.

"Who cares…" Lucious began. "Don't give her more information than she needs to have."

Hermione agreed that he was right and went to write the letter, when she was done she read it aloud to them.

Dear Rita,

I have to hand it to you, you were definitely on to something when you published the article about Draco and myself. I'm having an engagement party tomorrow night. Harry will be there too of course. I'd like to invite you but I'm a little apprehensive because of our past, just to be honest Rita. My fiancé and I believe in moving on from our past and I write to formally invite you to our engagement party. If we can move forward I'd like to invite you to my wedding later in the year.

Sincerely,

Hermione Granger

"Thoughts?" She asked the group.

"It's perfect," Draco said.

"Yes, I agree," Lucious echoed.

"Hmmm," Narcissa piped in for the first time "I think it should mention something about Lucious and myself attending. The prophet is always writing about Potter, what if she needs something more enticing?" She offered.

The idea didn't make Hermione feel very good. "But…that's what we're hoping to avoid, isn't it?"

"You're not worried, are you?" Lucious asked sarcastically.

Hermione didn't reply to his quip. The truth was, she wanted to try to be a part of his family, not tear it apart.

"Hermione?" Draco looked at her closely.

Narcissa could read the intent behind her apprehension. "That's very sweet, but we've been through worse," Narcissa said as she smiled at her.

Hermione went back to her letter and anxiously added to the last line, "I look forward to introducing you to my in laws, they tell me they've never had the pleasure." After she sealed it she closed her eyes and handed it to Draco.

Draco was moved by the fact that she didn't want to cause any extra publicity for his family. He had never mentioned it aloud, but as much as had happened in his life, he loved his parents. What people said about them caused him pain, but he was able to bear it better as time went on. He left the room to send the letter off and came back to Hermione who was looking slightly dejected. Instead of sitting down next to her he leaned down over her, moved her hair to the side and whispered in her ear, "I love you Hermione," and then kissed her neck.

She was upset at having to use the strategy his parents suggested, she knew it was the best way but it still made her heart feel a little heavy. "What picture is she going to paint once she shows up?" Hermione couldn't help but feel that she was going to be at Rita's mercy at the end of it. She felt like she should excuse herself from the table to be alone with her thoughts.

"Excuse me," she said as she stood up to leave, they had all noticed her acting oddly after sending the letter. She got up and left to Draco's room and cried for a few minutes when she heard a knock on the door. She dried her eyes and waited for Draco to enter.

Instead of Draco, Lucious entered. She was used to having to control her emotions in front of him and didn't like that he was in her space. Her eyes were still very red and he could tell she had been crying.

He just had started to get to know her over the past week. He had never cared for her, quite the opposite actually, but she he was starting to warm up to her. He didn't want to see her upset on a count of him and his wife. They were used to being lambasted in the papers and in the wizarding community, and if Hermione thought she was going to change this she was sorely mistaken.

"I wanted to be alone," she said bluntly.

He was relieved to see that even though she was emotional she hadn't changed in how she addressed him. It would make it easier for him to say what he felt he needed to.

"I'm aware," he began as he moved further into the room.

Hermione just scoffed at his reply and turned her back on him, more tears leaked out of her eyes and she wiped them away.

He never had a daughter, but he was in a weird position of wanting to give her advice and not knowing how to approach her. She went from crying to not crying and it was odd for him. The only experience he had was when Narcissa had been unhappy, but she rarely cried. He was a little at a loss.

"Hermione," he said as she slightly turned to look at him. "What did you honestly expect? You knew our family's reputation better than anyone…" He had the hint of accusation on his voice.

She didn't answer him but turned her face back so that she wasn't looking at him. He waited for an answer and she began to cry more, he could see her shoulders shaking slightly. He took a step backward to begin to leave when she spoke up.

"I don't want this to end up causing Draco any more pain than what he's already had." She replied.

Lucious was struck by how much Hermione loved his son but needed her to understand. "It will be more painful for him to sacrifice his future, this is a small concession when you consider the whole picture." He offered.

She didn't know if he was saying she wasn't considering the whole picture and making a jibe at her or not and considered what he said before answering. "Draco isn't a part of that reputation, why should he be branded by it?"

"Ah, I'm sure he doesn't share your sentiments." He said as she turned around to face him head on. "You look at me like I don't know what he's capable of, maybe it's only you who is disillusioned…"

"Shut up!" she shouted at him as she stood up, shaking with rage. "He's not like that anymore," she continued to shout.

"Did you think you could change him?" He continued to push.

Before she knew it her hand was tightly gripping her wand and it was in Lucious's face. Draco and Narcissa heard the shouting and had just come through the door to check on her when they saw Hermione's threatening stance.

Narcissa reacted before anyone had a chance to do something they might regret. "Expeliarmus," she did the spell non-verbally as the wand shot into her hand.

Being disarmed didn't faze Hermione, she was still in Lucious's face, glaring at him.

Lucious wasn't bothered by Hermione's outburst. His features softened. "I wanted to prove a point to you. If you can't handle hearing these things, you're not ready to marry my son." It hurt him to say it because he knew what admitting that would do to his son.

Hermione's expression went from livid and as the anger ebbed away she inhaled sharply. Tears pooled in her eyes again. Lucious understood something about her that she hadn't understood herself, something that neither Draco or his mother saw. She looked down as a tear fell, and Draco moved over to comfort her. She felt inadequate, and Draco comforting her made her feel worse.

"That's enough," he said as he stood between his soon to be bride and his father. His tone was bordering on threatening. He made it clear that if there was a side to take, he was going to take hers.

Lucious began to turn to leave and Draco returned to comforting her.

"No, you're right…" she sounded like she was starting to hyperventilate.

Lucious was surprised at her reaction, he half expected her to shout at him again after what he had just said to her. He faced her again, his eyes sorrowful.

Draco felt his heart break at her agreement with father's statement of not being ready to marry him. He held on to her. "What?" he sounded exasperated.

She tried to control her composure as her breathing slowed. "If I'm going to be ready, I'll need your help," she said to him earnestly.

Draco hugged her tightly, as he did he slightly lifted her off the floor. He was happy she wasn't giving up on him. The crestfallen look had vanished from his face.

Hermione picked up on his reaction and put her hand on his face. "Draco…did you think…" she began and then stopped. She needed to settle things with his father first before dealing with Draco's idea that she could possibly leave him. She lowered her hand and looked at Lucious again. She was going to speak when Narcissa spoke first.

"Lucious," Narcissa said as she stepped forward. "I think there's been enough talking for today. Hermione is clearly distraught and the party is tomorrow evening…"

"But how is she going to handle herself? I made one comment about Draco and she nearly hexed me Narcissa." He tried to explain.

Draco squeezed her hand, Hermione looked up at him and he was smiling at her.

Narcissa looked at Hermione, but the kind look was gone from her eyes. She was sizing her up. Perhaps Lucious was right. "Hermione, if you can't hold your composure, you'll be a liability. You know behaving emotionally can be rash, and doesn't do credit to our family or yours." Narcissa sat down on Draco's bed.

The way Narcissa spoke to her got her attention. "What am I supposed to say if people mention the past, or ask if I'm with him just to change him?"

"You have changed me," Draco offered.

"And you've changed me too, but you're still arrogant and sarcastic quite often, and I've grown to love that about you." She added.

"Really?" he said sarcastically to her attempt to answer. "You're still the same know it all you've always been," he returned.

She ignored him as Narcissa replied. "If you show people that you care what they think, they will expect you to wait on their approval. Life is too short to spend time worrying. If you and Draco are happy, that's all that matters." She said a little harshly.

"It's not that I care for others good opinion," Hermione tried to defend herself. "I just don't like what this might cost Draco, and the negative attention this will bring to your family. I'm not waiting on approval; my decision is already made." She explained.

Draco stared at her for a moment. "Hermione," he said softly. "Your friends and parents coming tomorrow might just see us as murderers," he never knew how Hermione was able to see him differently. "Just because you might see me, or maybe my family differently, doesn't mean everyone else will see what you do." He rubbed her back as he spoke to her.

She leaned into him, laying her head on his chest. He slowly wrapped his arms around her. "I wish I could show everyone what I see." She replied.

Lucious and Narcissa were moved but decided to leave the couple, it was getting late. They felt like they offered any advice they could. Narcissa reminded both of them of the early start to set up for the party before she and Lucious left.

Moments later, Draco leaned in to kiss Hermione and when they broke the kiss he asked her a question. "How did you start to see me differently?"

"I don't know…just from getting to know you better. Seeing that you had a softer side…" She said as he made a face at her.

"Softer side?" Draco returned.

"You can be sensitive and sweet, and compassionate," she said as she looked into his eyes.

"I guess it's okay if you see me that way. I don't want any of your other friends, especially Potter or Weasley, to think I'm…sweet." He replied sarcastically.

She laughed at his reply and pulled him down so he was on top of her. Draco began kissing her and then picked Hermione up and put her on the bed. He laid back on top of her and began kissing her neck. When she began to kiss him back he slowed her down.

"We have a lot of arrangements to prepare tomorrow. We better get some sleep Hermione." He said in a soft voice. "Nox," he said as he turned off the light and set his wand down.

"Before we sleep…" she started to say as she laid down and snuggled up next to him.

"Yeah."

"There have been a couple times in the last few days where you've acted like I'm going to change my mind…about us. Is that something you're worried about?" It had bothered her after the first time and then he had alluded to it again that night.

"…maybe…"

She reached for his hand and pulled it around her tighter. "Why? Did I do something to make you think that I'm not serious about you?" she asked in a sad tone. She hoped that wasn't the case.

"No, it's just dealing with the same things we're already going through in setting up this party. I'm wondering how you might handle the next five years of this, let alone a lifetime." He also finished on a sad note.

"If I have you then I don't care. Like I told your mom, I don't care about everyone's opinions. If we can find our own way to deal with people's comments, then it shouldn't affect us, right?"

"Things always sound better in theory Hermione, then real life happens." He added.

"I've been thinking about what your mom said about not reacting in a way that doesn't give us any credit…" she began.

"It's always been hard for you to control your emotions," he commented flatly.

"Are you serious? How can you say that to me?" she was a little offended.

"Um, because I know you. You got so excited at the sorting that all the students were laughing, you wear your heart on your sleeve Hermione…and, that's going to be a problem."

"Say for a moment that what you say is true, and I'm not saying it is. What do you suggest? Did you change your approach? How do you not care?

"Do I act like I don't care?" he asked.

"Sometimes, before I knew you better."

"Good, I don't have to worry if others think I'm sensitive then…" he trailed off.

Hermione laughed. "I'm serious Draco!"

"Just be friendly and prepare some phrases to use when people push your buttons. You got pretty good at doing that with me, remember?"

Working with Draco had been one of the biggest lessons in patience that she had ever gotten. She had to change her approach quite a bit to be able to work with him, but in the end she was able to win him over, even though she won him over more than she expected to.

"Yeah…maybe I'll just pretend everyone is you when we were kids. That was great advice!" She felt that this would solve her problem.

"That's not what I was saying…" he laughed and hugged her tighter and they both drifted off to sleep.


	31. Chapter 31

Ch. 31

The morning was chaotic as the family set up a large canopy in the garden, made food, and had flowers blooming everywhere for the event that evening. Draco and Lucious put up strands of lights underneath the canopy so that in the evening the whole place would be lit by tiny lights.

"Save some magic for the wedding!" Hermione shouted across the garden to Draco.

"Are you getting married at the manor then?" Narcissa asked. Her kind smile had returned.

"We hadn't talked about it but I assumed we would because of Lucious…" she was alluding to the terms of Lucious's house arrest that he wasn't allowed to leave.

Narcissa nodded her head in understanding. "That would be nice, he wouldn't want to miss it." She added. "And there are so many types of decorations we can do that you wouldn't recognize the house anyways."

After several hours they took a break and Hermione confirmed that her and Draco would be leaving to get her parents and apparating with them back to the house.

"Yeah, I'm almost ready," he said as he walked to the back door and held it open for her.

She walked back out into the garden with him and two pops told the Malfoys they were alone again for the first time in weeks.

Hermione and Draco had arrived in her parent's back yard since they had been expecting them. Her mom was very excited for the party, but both of her parents were not looking forward to meeting Draco's parents because of their history with their daughter.

Hermione and Draco, and her parents assumed the positions to apparate as Hermione described the procedure. She had never taken them traveling this way before and she had to get special permission from the ministry due to the party.

"Now, mom, you grab my hand and dad grab Draco's hand." She instructed.

Wendell felt a little apprehensive and slowly reached his hand out for Draco's. Draco had a firm grip and they waited for Hermione to finish explaining.

"Do not let go! When we begin you will feel a very uncomfortable sensation like you're being pulled in through your belly button. A few seconds after we start we will be back at Draco's house, so it will only last a short time." She reassured.

Her parents looked at one another with unsettled looks. "It's too late to drive?" Wendell asked.

"It's on the other side of the country," Hermione returned. "Plus, even if you did get close there are still spells and enchantments to keep non-magical people away so you'd never find it by car."

"Ready?" Draco asked Wendell when he nodded slowly and closed his eyes. After a quick second they had apparated and were gone.

"Wow, that was fast! Are they already there?" Monica asked.

"Yes, and remember not to let go. On the count of three," she started. "One, two, three." There was a pop and they were back at Malfoy manor.

Draco and her father were standing in the garden talking to Lucious. Hermione gave Lucious a watchful eye.

Narcissa had walked up to Hermione and her mom. They had been introduced before but that was when Draco and her hadn't been dating. "Mom, you've met Draco's mother Narcissa," Hermione started the introduction.

"Nice to see you again," Monica offered in a friendly tone.

"Likewise," she replied. "Would you like a tour?"

"Yes, your home is so beautiful."

The two women walked off together towards the house and Hermione wandered over to where her dad and Draco were, her arms crossed.

She came up and stood next to her father. "There she is now!" he said proudly and pulled her into a half hug. "They were just telling me about you learning how to cook, I can't believe it Hermione." He said smiling at her. "Who knew, you just needed to learn to do it magically. But you're quite something in the wizarding world from what Draco told me when he came over to ask for my blessing," he looked at her for a response.

"I assure you that's not the case," she said, her face reddening.

"I didn't know you were so modest," Lucious returned. "She's the most accomplished witch I know, and Narcissa, my wife, says so herself often."

Hermione wasn't sure if it was one of those times where Lucious was putting forward an opinion that wasn't his so that he appeared to be nice for the party. But she could buy it and knew others would too.

Hermione blushed at the comment.

"She is modest," her father replied.

"I must get that from my dad, he's a dentist." Hermione shared.

"He's a doctor for muggle teeth," Draco tried to explain to his father. Lucious had a bewildered look on his face as Wendell tried to explain what he did for a living.

Hemione pulled Draco aside, "we'd better get changed, the guests will be arriving soon," she reminded him.

"I'll go first so you can have more time to get ready," he said as he kissed her on the cheek and headed into the house.

Hermione stood and listed to her father and Lucious talk and watched as Lucious tried his best to be friendly and did a reasonable job at it. Having gotten to know him better she didn't feel that he was capable of being so friendly under usual circumstances.

When Draco came out he had on a nice outfit that looked similar to dress robes but a little altered. They hadn't talked about what she would wear, but she was going to wear a pretty muggle dress she owned.

She went into the room next and changed into her dress. It was form fitting but came out in a bell shape from the hips and was mid length. It looked classy on her and she curled her hair to go with it. When she was done with her hair, she put on the vanilla perfume that Draco liked and walked back outside. When Draco saw her he stopped in mid conversation with her father and just stared at her.

She blushed and walked over to him. "You're staring at me Draco," she pointed out.

"You look stunning Hermione," he returned. It felt weird for him to compliment her in front of her father, but he even smiled.

"He's right, you do." Wendell added.

"The guests are going to arrive any minute," Lucious pointed out to them. "Wendell, why don't you and Monica sit with me and Narcissa." He offered.

Even though he hadn't looked forward to meeting Draco's parents, with their manners Wendell had a hard time believing what he knew about them. When Narcissa came out with Monica they also went over to the table, still chatting.

"I wonder what they found to talk about," Draco said to Hermione.

As guests started to arrive Hermione and Draco greeted each one personally and invited them into the garden where there was music and food. Professors from the school came, many were surprised at the engagement announcement.

Among those not surprised was Neville Longbottom who was accompanied by his grandmother. The grandmother wished them congratulations but eyed Draco suspiciously.

Finally Harry and Ginny arrived, followed by the rest of the Weasley's except for Molly and Author.

Hermione hugged everyone and as she hugged Ron he explained their absence. "Sorry mom and dad couldn't make it. They wanted to support you but they said it was too much history seeing them again," he nodded his head in the direction of Lucious and Narcissa in the tent.

Hermione wasn't upset like she thought she might be. "I'm just glad you made it!" she said as she moved the conversation on. Draco was feeling slightly overwhelmed with all the friends that Hermione had.

One by one, Luna and Hagrid and several others showed up.

When Luna wished them the best, she gave Draco and odd look.

Seeing her again made Draco feel guilty, she had lived in their basement for several months as a captive of the dark lord.

"Luna," he began, trying to think of something to say to her. "I'm really sorry about what happened here a few years ago. I can understand if it's hard for you to be back here." He offered.

"it is hard," she returned. "I brought a few editions of the Quibbler as a present." She said as she handed him the newspapers. "I'm the co-editor with my dad now." She talked to him like they were old friends and it felt odd to him.

When Hagrid came he was there as a friend to the both of them, one of the only people who could say that, other than professor McGonigal.

"Headmistress," Hermione began "It's a pleasure," she said at seeing her favorite teacher and mentor.

"Happy to hear the news you two. I suspect you will be sharing quarters this coming year so I can use one room for another teacher?" she asked.

"Yes," Draco answered. "Hermione's room will suit us nicely."

"I will have your things moved over then when term begins." She smiled as she patted his shoulder and left to enter the canopy.

When Rita Skeeter arrived she was very fake with Hermione and Hermione tried to say only a few words to her and let Draco do most of the talking.

"We're so glad you could make it," he offered as he attempted to shake her hand and put his arm around Hermione.

Rita looked around at the other guests and made a hungry smile.

"I believe you intended to introduce me to your in laws Ms. Granger?" Rita asked when Hermione did a fake smile and led her over to where her and Draco's parents were sitting.

"Mom, Dad, Lucious, and Narcissa, please allow me to introduce you to Rita Skeeter."

Everyone shook hands. "You're muggles?" Rita asked Hermione's parents.

They made a confused look because they didn't hear the term frequently.

"Non-magic people," Hermione reminded her parents.

"Oh, yes. Only our Hermione was given that special gift," her mother returned and Hermione blushed, she was also starting to feel like she might lose her cool, Rita did not tend to bring out the best in her and knew exactly what buttons to push.

Lucious spoke directly to Hermione in front of the group. "Hermione actually had the idea for the lights in here, they turned out well, don't you think Rita?"

"Oh," she looked at Hermione and saw that she seemed to get on well with her father in law.

"You give me too much credit," she blushed again, but it was a blush of relief.

"Hermione, we don't want to keep you from Draco, both of you are doing so well greeting your guests," Narcissa complimented.

Hermione smiled; they had this. "I'm glad you're here Rita, I don't want to keep Draco waiting." She said as she walked back to him. She was so happy that when she got back to him she kissed him on the lips.

"Save it for the wedding!" Bill Weasley yelled in Hermione's direction when her and Draco laughed and he kissed her back. Whistles came from the guests inside the canopy. They decided that most of the guests had arrived and headed into the canopy to enjoy the party.

There were many people who were drinking, and dancing, and just chatting with everyone at the party. Lucious stayed mostly at the table but would talk to some people as they walked by and try to strike up a conversation if they were polite enough to engage, most were not however so Wendell became Lucious's main focus for the evening. He could see a lot of Hermione in her father.

Wendell and Monica also had very nice things to say about their son and it was interesting to Lucious to hear about their point of view and think about how Draco may have done in the muggle world.

Harry and the Weasley's were mixing through the party, but later in the evening Hagrid poured drinks for him, Harry, and Draco and did a toast. The cups were normal sized so Draco wasn't in danger of drinking too much.

"For Hermione and Draco!" Hagrid yelled. The whole party lifted up their glasses and drank.

When a slow song started to play Draco grabbed Hermione's hand and led her out onto the dance floor. He held her as they danced to the beat. As they did other couples started to slowly come onto the floor and did the same. When the song ended Hermione pulled him back when he tried to walk away and he danced with her for a few more songs that had a more up beat tempo. They laughed and he picked Hermione up in his arms, carrying her off the floor, and kissing her as he set her down.

Most of the guests talked about how much of an unlikely pair the two were, but by the end of the night saw Draco in a new light. They saw how Draco made her laugh and that he looked at her with real love in his eyes. By the end of the night they were talking about how time and maturity could go a long way and saying well wishes for the newly engaged couple. Most people even saw how Lucious and Narcissa were more friendly and open and were pleasantly surprised by their manners. Every guest noticed how well Hermione's and Draco's parents were getting along, and the parents could often be heard laughing and sharing stories of their kids with one another throughout the evening.

The morning hours had just started when many of their guests began to leave. Draco and Hermione still had so much energy from the party that they didn't really feel very tired. After Rita left Hermione felt like she could relax quite a bit, and was glad she was among the first to leave. Thankfully there were enough people at the party to keep her entertained so Hermione only had the one interaction with her.

Draco made a point to say goodnight to Rita when she left and told her they planned to invite her to the wedding too. He hoped that would be enticing enough to earn her good graces.

After she left, Hermione finally had a drink with her friends. Harry, Ginny and Ron were still there, as well as Luna and Neville. They did a toast to Dumbledore's Army, and then another. After two drinks, Draco intervened.

"Hermione," he whispered in her ear as she leaned into his lips, making him kiss her on the cheek.

Harry snickered at her.

"Yeah, a little too much," Ron added, seeing that Hermione clearly had enough.

"Hey!" Hermione added to defend herself.

He knew that she wasn't going to be able to apparate in the state she was in. "Why don't you hang out here Hermione? I'm going to see about helping your parents home," he offered.

"You're so sweet!" she said loudly. "Why don't you want everyone to know how sweet you are?"

He was starting to feel warmth spread into his face, she was embarrassing him.

"I've got this," Harry said pointing to Hermione and talking to a clearly uncomfortable Draco. "You go ahead, we'll be here when you get back." He reassured him.

Draco nodded at Harry and kissed Hermione before heading over to her tired parents. "I'll be escorting you home, Hermione's not going to be able to…" he looked over in her direction and her parents looked over too.

"Oh, that's okay," Monica added. "She was such a good hostess, I'm glad she's finally unwinding."

Wendell nodded in agreement with his wife. "I can't believe the time, we're ready when you are Draco."

They both thanked Lucious and Narcissa for the wonderful evening. His parents weren't anything that they imagined they would be like. They walked further out into the garden and Draco took Wendell's hand and apparated. A moment later he was back for Monica and apparated again and quickly returned back to the garden.

When he came back Harry and Ginny were making out a few tables away from where they had been when he left, and Ron and Hermione were at a table together. Hermione and Ron had just done a shot and Ron had his hand on her lower back. Draco wasn't very happy about the scene.

Ron was pouring another shot and as he was done pouring Draco reached out and took it and drank it down.

"Oi!" Ron protested

"Thanks Weasley," he said in nasty tone, "get your hands off my fiancé," he said as he glared at Ron.

"Draco!" Hermione said, slightly offended at his tone. Hermione didn't realize how close Ron had been to her, or that he was touching her in a way she wouldn't normally approve of.

He ignored Hermione's tone and continued to glare at Ron until he removed his hand from her back. Ron glared right back as he dropped his hand.

Harry noticed there was some tension and came right over.

"What's up?" he asked, looking between Draco and Ron for someone to answer him.

"This git thinks I'm making a move on Hermione," Ron stated in a matter of fact tone.

Draco just continued to glare. Harry was silent for a moment.

"Draco, Ron wouldn't do that!" Hermione said to him defensively as she took the bottle they were drinking from and stood up from the table, wobbling.

"I know what I saw Hermione," he said to her coldly. He turned back to Ron. "You might be a friend of hers, but she's going to be MY wife. This won't happen again." He threatened.

Ron made a guilty look and Hermione leaned into Draco and laced her fingers with his. "I'm going to be your wife Draco," she whispered, echoing what he had said with a smile on her lips. With her eyes closed she laid her head on his chest and continued to clutch the bottle in her other hand.

Harry finally spoke up after seeing Ron's look. "Did you make a move on Hermione?" he asked his friend in a way that showed he didn't believe Malfoy. To Draco it didn't matter if he admitted it, he knew what he had seen. Ron just shrugged his shoulders which was as good as admitting he did, and stood up. Harry looked back at Draco who still had a cold look on his face.

"If I had known I would have stayed with her." He felt a little guilty for breaking his promise to keep an eye on Hermione for Malfoy.

Draco didn't reply but just looked down at Hermione. "Are you ready to get some rest?" he asked kindly as he rubbed her back.

"Yeah," she replied in a tired voice. She detached from Draco to go give Harry a hug.

"You take it easy Hermione, I'll see you again soon." He hugged her and let go. Hermione was the closest thing that Harry had to a sister. She didn't answer as she went over to hug Ron. As she went to hug him he kept his body very distant so he was just kind of leaning over her slightly and patted her back a few times. He made a sideways glance at Draco and noticed he was under his watchful eye. Then she hugged Ginny.

After she was done wobbling from one person to the next she stood by Draco and her friends left, officially ending the party. Lucious and Narcissa walked over to them, eyeing Hermione in an odd way. Narcissa had seen her slightly tipsy but hadn't known her well enough to know that Hermione couldn't handle liquor and that this was the reason for her odd questions when they met the first time. Lucious had never seen her out of her normal temperament other than being emotional.

Draco noticed his parents staring. He tried to take the bottle from her hand but she kept holding it. "Stop it Draco," she said calmly to him.

"But you don't need this anymore," he tried to reason with her.

"I'm trying to put this away and be helpful," she replied. The entire party would still need to be cleaned up, but they weren't going to worry about that until later.

"Hermione," Narcissa began. "Why don't we go in and I can help you?" she offered.

"Sure," Hermione said while she let go of Draco and tried to walk on her own into the house. She grabbed Narcissa's body for support a few times.

Once Narcissa was able to coax her into the house and into giving up the bottle to put away, Draco led her up to the room.

He helped her through the threshold and onto the bed. He turned around and started taking his dress clothes off. Even though they had been sharing a room, they still were pretty private when it came to getting changed. Draco took his shirt off and then looked over at Hermione before he started to take off his pants. When he looked over he saw she was already asleep.

"Figures," he said. They had been up since early hours and he was surprised he hadn't crashed himself.

He took off the rest of his clothes and put on some comfortable pajamas and laid next to Hermione. She was still wearing her tight dress and had even fallen asleep with her shoes on. He got up from bed and took her shoes off, but he still didn't think she would sleep comfortably in her dress.

"Hermione," he tried to nudge her to wake her up. She wasn't budging and was out cold. He leaned over and started to untie her dress slowly, with hesitation. He pulled the back open a little and noticed it was so tight that it had left marks in her skin. "Why do girls do that?" he asked himself out loud. He felt her exposed skin and pushed on the creases the dress had made, trying to flatten them out. She was so warm and her skin felt soft. He wondered again how Hermione would feel about him undressing her as he moved his hands under her dress and up over her shoulder to pull her dress forward enough to be able to gently pull her arms out one by one. Next, he would have to pull the dress down but he was worried about exposing her because she wasn't wearing a bra. He tried to think of other ways to cover her up, and even considered putting her arms back in the dress and leaving her to sleep.

He grabbed one of his shirts and put it on her like a night gown, and then worked the dress off her chest and midsection while she was covered. The shirt only went down to her upper thigh and he could still see the underwear she was wearing. He reached out and touched the side of her upper thigh and slowly moved his hand just under her shirt, resting his hand on her hip. He laid down and snuggled up next to her and just held her to him as he relaxed; a few minutes later he joined her in peaceful slumber.


	32. Chapter 32

Ch. 32

When she woke up the next morning she noticed that she was in one of Draco's comfortable shirts and her dress was on the floor. She assumed she must have changed before bed and noticed she still felt a little tipsy. She sat up and rubbed her eyes and got out of bed.

Hermione reached for a pair of shorts and put them on and headed out to see if anyone else was awake, but when she went into the kitchen she didn't see anyone. When she looked at the clock she saw that it was about 7am, and since she hadn't gotten to sleep until around 3 when the party ended, she noticed she didn't get much sleep. "I'm awake now," she thought as she prepared to head outside and started to pick up from the party. She had used spells to take most of the decorations down, remove the lights and pick up the garbage. After she had been working for a few hours or so she brought the liquor bottles back into the house. She put them in the kitchen and then when she couldn't find the right spot for them she saw the door down to the basement and wondered if they belonged down there.

She set her wand down and grabbed several of the bottles. As she opened the door she remembered coming to the house when snatchers delivered her to Malfoy Manor, the thought of her fear at that time gave her chills. She looked up to the top of the stairs and noticed that the door was shut, and must have slowly closed as she stood reminiscing downstairs.

She walked up the stairs and tried to open the door. No matter how hard she tried she wasn't able to open it. She reached for her wand and remembered she had set it on the counter. She banged on the door but then remembered that no one was awake. The kitchen was so far from the bedrooms that it wasn't likely that someone would hear her anyways.

Being in the basement gave her an eerie feeling. She tried to apparate out but couldn't. After an hour of waiting she decided to open one of the bottles she brought down and took a shot to help calm herself down. It didn't work very well so she took another drink, then another. After a while she fell asleep with the bottle in her hand.

An hour later she heard the door open and started to wake up. She stood up, happy to be getting out. She walked up towards the stairs in the dark, still wobbling.

As the person walked down the stairs and into the main area of the basement, Hermione grabbed onto them for support.

"Ahhh!" the person screamed as they drew their wand and cast a spell. The spell sent Hermione back a few feet and slightly burnt her hands, but would heal quickly if she were to apply dittany to them later.

"Lumos," Lucious announced as his wand was lit. He held it up to reveal Hermione, still drunk and wobbling around. "Hermione!" He shouted her name at her.

"That hurt," she said aloud as she rubbed her hands together.

"Why are you down here?" He demanded, still surprised.

"I came to put some bottles away when the door shut." She looked a little pathetic in her current state, standing near Lucious who carried himself with pride.

"And you didn't have your wand?!" He continued.

"I left it upstairs," she said as she took a few steps closer to the stairs and almost lost her balance before catching herself.

"Are you down here drinking?" He questioned her. He wondered if she had stopped drinking from last night. The party had been over for about six hours and Hermione wasn't even sleeping. Did she have a drinking problem?

"No…well…yes," she started giggling. "When I couldn't get out I took a few drinks to calm my nerves," she added.

He gave her a disgusted look and grabbed the bottle from her. "I think it's time you were cut off, the party is over."

Hermione started giggling at Lucious's too serious form. "The party is over," she repeated in his serious voice and laughed again.

"Are you mocking me?" He asked her, his voice sounding dangerous.

Even through her state she could sense the threat in his voice and stopped laughing and took a few steps closer to him. As she did she nearly fell and he caught her arm to prevent her from falling. Hermione gave him an odd look.

"What?" he said grumpily to her.

She sighed. "I'm not sure if how you acted at the party was genuine, but I appreciated it." A tear streaked down her face as she reached out to hug Lucious. Under normal circumstances she never would have shown him any sort of affection.

He backed up a step and had to catch Hermione's arm again as she took another step closer to him and almost fell again. "You've had quite a bit to drink, I imagine," he said, confused by the emotion and wanting it to stop. "There, there," he said in a slightly repulsed tone and mocked her with the fake consolation. He lightly patted her shoulder twice in a way that showed he barely wanted contact with her and led her over to the stairs. He stood in front of her and placed her hand on the hand rail while he began walking and she followed suit behind him. "Ready to go see Draco?" He asked, happy to pawn her off on his son. He wasn't sure how Draco had the patience to deal with her and all her emotions.

While she was walking she started to fall backwards and Lucious turned around to grab her but was too late and she fell down the last couple of steps.

Draco had gotten out of bed when he thought he heard his father shout Hermione's name and realized that she wasn't next to him anymore. He walked quickly through the house and found the basement door open. As he looked down the stairs he saw his father turned around leaning forward and Hermione falling backwards off the steps. She smacked her head on the pavement and the sound it made was reminiscent of the sound he heard before Halloween when they were decorating the great hall. From Draco's angle, it appeared that Hermione had been pushed by his father.

Draco did it without thinking, he pulled out his wand and used the crutiatus curse on his father for his apparent hateful action towards his fiancé. As Lucious fell off the stairs Hermione stared in horror at Draco and the action he was committing. Surely this wasn't happening.

She saw a hate filled expression ravage his face as he looked at his father who was writing in pain next to her. She couldn't believe his sweet features could ever be distorted so terribly. "Draco, no!" she screamed as she crawled over to Lucious. She was hurt from having hit her head and the loss of mobility from drinking wasn't helping matters. He wasn't listening so she threw herself on Lucious to block the curse.

Lightning shot through her body and made her scream out in pain. It felt like her insides were splitting open. As quickly as the curse started it had stopped.

Draco came down the stairs and grabbed Hermione by the shoulders and shook her, "No Hermione! Why?" He started crying, he had never wanted to hurt her or cause her pain.

Hermione didn't want Draco to touch her. She recoiled at his touch and tears were streaming down her face. She was scared of him for the first time.

He noticed her reaction and slowly pulled back his hands from her shoulders.

She turned and looked at Lucious who also had a few tears that spilt from his eyes. He was wiping them off as he laid there, Hermione still slightly on him. His son wouldn't do anything to protect him anymore, he knew that, but he never expected Hermione's reaction. He was grateful that she at least intervened in his suffering. He was at a loss for words.

"Are you okay," Hermione asked through her tears.

Lucious tried to give her a curt nod but it didn't have any of the effect it usually had and made Hermione cry a little more. She also tried to sit up and moved off of Lucious.

Narcissa had come to the doorway and saw them all at the bottom of the stairs in the basement. Her wand was out as she slowly walked down, taking in the scene.

Draco was shaking, Hermione had streams of tears coming down her face and was heaving her chest, and Lucious still had red eyes and was attempting to at least sit up now that Hermione had moved.

"What happened," she whispered. Her question filled up the void of the basement and hung in the air. None of them wanted to answer. After a few minutes she just looked at her husband, "Lucious?" she asked.

He winced and held his side. "Our son was just practicing the cruciatus curse on me," he offered, hurt coming in through his voice.

"Again Draco?" She asked, upset. She stood frozen in place.

"Again?!" Hermione whispered as she gave Draco an angry and broken look. "You've done this before?"

"He pushed you!" Draco shouted at her, defending himself.

"He was helping me!" She shouted at him, still wiping away tears as she tried to stand up. As she got to her feet she was wobbly and Draco reached out to steady her. She pulled her body away from him and almost fell again when she caught herself.

"Hermione had been down here drinking when I offered to help her upstairs," Lucious added.

"I got stuck down here when the door closed," she offered in her defense. She felt she had sobered up pretty quickly in the last few minutes. She held her hand out to Lucious to try to help him up. She wasn't very steady herself.

"No," Lucious said to her offer. He tried to lift himself but was still unable to, having fallen pretty hard off the stairs.

Narcissa went over to her husband and helped him up. She braced herself against him on one side. Hermione grabbed his other side and he didn't protest as she tried to help support him. Both ladies walked Lucious up stairs and sat him down on the couch in the front room. When Hermione turned to leave Lucious and Narcissa in the front room Lucious called back out to her. "Hermione," he said calmly, still holding his side.

She turned around to face him, still wiping tears away.

"Thank you," he said earnestly.

She had a serious look on her face as she nodded and left the room. She walked into the next room and Draco had met her in the kitchen. He was closing the basement door when Hermione came up behind him. As he turned around she saw he was shaking and had a distant look on his face. She didn't know what to say to him. She held the wall for support again, this time her courage was failing her.

"I never meant to hurt you," he said in a cracked voice. His reaction to what he thought had happened between Hermione and his father was more than he was prepared for. Did this mean he was more of a death eater than he thought, maybe he hadn't really changed at all? His mind was racing with thoughts.

She just stared at him, now all she could see on his face was where that terrible look had been. She trembled involuntarily.

As a force of habit he reached out to her and she trembled again. He pulled his hands back. "Are you scared of me?" he asked, a tear leaking out of his eye. He stood frozen. Hermione had always been the one to see the good in him, maybe she realized she made a mistake in agreeing to marry him, maybe she was realizing what he was, that there was a death eater inside him somewhere.

She was afraid to even admit it and stood there frozen. She thought about what Lucious had said to her several days ago about knowing what his son was capable of. He was right, she had no idea. She never wanted to see that side of him again.

"How many times have you done that to him?" she finally spoke to him and asked in a dejected whisper.

He locked eyes with her. "…Twice..." he said and then he looked away. He had assaulted his own father twice. He felt like a monster.

She had spent her childhood up to young adult hood not liking Draco at all, but now what she had felt was so opposite those feelings that she had long buried any of her past thoughts about him. She looked at him and felt like she was seeing a death eater and it made her sick.

"That…how…" she began but stopped when he looked at her again. "That's an unforgivable curse," she whispered in a soft and disappointed tone.

"I didn't mean to, I just reacted when he pushed you," he tried to explain, his voice sounded hollow. Hermione knew Draco wouldn't have done anything like that normally, but she couldn't get his twisted features out of her mind. "When I thought he pushed you," he corrected.

"You have to talk to him," Hermione stated.

Draco nodded his head, his body was still shaking. She wanted to reach out and comfort him, but didn't want him to think she was placating him. She didn't know what to say.

"Draco," she said softly in a hurt tone as she started crying again.

"I'm so sorry Hermione," he embraced her and she didn't pull away. She was so distraught that she needed him to comfort her. Even though he was the cause, he was the only thing that could make her feel better.

"That was dreadful, I never want to see you like that again," she said as a shiver went down her spine.

"I'm sorry," he apologized to her again as he pulled her back into the hug.

He knew he had acted out of instinct, but he couldn't keep looking at his father as someone who would hurt Hermione. He had just seen him hurt so many people that it was hard not to look at him that way sometimes. He hugged her for a moment and walked out to the living room to see his father. Hermione trailed behind him, uncertain if she should really be in the conversation or not.

Lucious and Narcissa stopped speaking the moment their son came into the room. Lucious didn't look up but Narcissa did. Draco stepped closer to them both and kneeled down beside his father who still didn't look at him.

"Father," Draco began. "I acted rashly and purely on instinct. Please, accept my apology." He said in a soft and hesitant tone as the skin around his eyes began to get red and his eyes became slightly watery. His parents could see that he was filled with remorse.

Lucious turned to look at his son and put his hand on his trembling shoulder. As angry as he was with him, Lucious only had Narcissa and his son in the whole world. "Never again Draco," his father said in a dangerous tone. Draco nodded his head in understanding. "We had an understanding after the first time that no harm was to come to her. I've honored that, and will continue to. You see Hermione as a member of this family and I'm afraid I didn't…until today." He said as he looked up and met her eyes that were filled with shock. She never expected him to accept her, and didn't really care if he did or not, but the sentiment was nice all the same.

"Hermione," Lucious continued. "You must not be too hard on Draco for what you saw. He's been raised to see the worst of me," Lucious admitted openly for the first time as he fought back tears of his own. "It was only natural for him to respond how he did." Lucious blamed himself for his son's behavior. As bad as Draco had ever been, Lucious was easily one hundred times worse.

"When is it natural to use an unforgivable curse?" Hermione retorted.

"When your family are death eaters," Narcissa replied.

"Used to be…" Hermione offered. The tone had gotten more awkward than before.

"But the past still leaves marks, if today is any proof of that." Narcissa threw out. "If anything, this should show you the lengths that Draco is willing to go to for you, even if he perceives harm that isn't really there." She defended her son.

"You're defending him? After what he just did to your husband?" Hermione was trying to wrap herself around their logic, it wasn't making sense to her.

"One day perhaps you'll have a son and you'll understand," Lucious replied on behalf of his wife. He pulled Draco in for a hug. "No matter what he's done, he's better than we ever were."

"Not everyone was so privileged to be among humbling Harry Potter every day Hermione," Narcissa offered. This struck a nerve with Hermione.

"What does Harry have to do with any of this?" she asked, bewildered.

"While you were at school you didn't have to make the choices that Draco had to make, or see the things he was exposed to. You had the luxury of being able to hide during the war while others were hunted down." Narcissa said to her angrily.

"Luxury!" Hermione yelled. "I hardly call being on the run from you and your family a luxury! Having the word Mudblood," Hermione exposed her sleeve to reveal the faint scar that would be there forever, "carved onto my skin by your sister while I waited to be killed, or watch my friends be killed, was anything but a luxury, thank you very much." She finished sarcastically. "And as far as what Draco was exposed to, by your choice I might add," she said as Narcissa cut her off.

"I know that perfectly well and do not need to be reminded," she interjected, slightly angry. She wondered how Draco was able to talk about the past with Hermione when she was so obviously missing the point.

"Please don't speak to my mother that way," Draco said in a tone that wasn't angry, or pleased. She couldn't read his face.

Hermione considered him and continued in a kinder tone. "Then how can you act like because he's better than the choices you've made, that everything he does is perfect?" Her tone was high. "Using unforgivable curses?" She worked hard to bring her tone down on the last part because she realized she had shared her actual feelings with his parents and wasn't holding anything back. The tone of accusation still lingered.

"If he was perfect would he be marrying you?" Lucious threw in to add to the things Draco had supposedly done wrong and raised his eyebrows at Hermione.

Hermione stood there stunned. This was what his parents really thought. "Anything else to add?" She asked either of them.

"I think you're misunderstanding them Hermione," Draco said as he stood up to face her.

She was too angry to hear what anyone had to say to her. She started to turn around when Draco pulled her back almost causing her to fall. "Ow," she complained. "You could just curse me Draco." She spat at him.

"He never cursed you, you threw yourself in front of a curse meant for someone else," Lucious corrected her comment.

"I never meant to and never would hurt you Hermione." Draco said in a gruff but hurt voice. He knew that no matter how much of him went back and forth between being his old self and being his new self, he would never want Hermione to be in danger, or be in pain.

She continued to look at him with an angry expression on her face.

"My mother is saying that…" he started when Hermione cut him off. She was starting to become hysterical. The lack of sleep and the tension from throwing the party and the alcohol was all taking its toll on her.

"That I'm a coward!" Hermione blurted out, interrupting Draco.

"No, that's not what I'm saying," Narcissa replied.

"Sounded like it," Hermione said defiantly.

"What she means is exactly what we've talked about. We both had a different journey to where we are today. Both of us had a hard road. I think my mother means that with all the torture and murder that I've been exposed to, she's surprised I'm not much worse off." Draco looked over at his mother who nodded.

"You only experienced that probably a handful of times, am I right?" Narcissa asked.

Hermione nodded.

"Draco experienced a handful everyday. Every single day," she started tearing up for the first time. "At least you could hide, there was no where for us to go where he wouldn't find us."

Draco held onto Hermione's shoulders and felt her body start to relax a little bit.

"And he's not perfect, I was just illustrating that we've even accepted his choices that we didn't agree with…" Lucious remarked. "That wasn't a slight on you." He continued to wince, holding his side.

She waited for a moment before she began talking. "Can't you brew him a potion for his pain," she said in a normal voice to Draco.

"If I go will you be here when I get back?" He asked, feeling vulnerable.

Hermione gave him an odd look. "Do you think I'm going somewhere?"

Draco shrugged and his family looked at her. They all expected her to leave by the looks of it. It felt like another insult to her. She had explained time and time again that she accepted Draco's proposal and didn't want her integrity to be questioned. "Listen, because this is the last time I'm going to repeat this. You call my integrity into question when you expect that I'm leaving all the time. I accepted your proposal didn't I?" She asked Draco.

"Yeah," he replied.

"And I knew that meant I would be tied to your family, when I said yes I was accepting them as well." She said in an irritated tone. "I'm done discussing this point with all of you." Her tone had a finality to it. She pulled away from Draco and walked to his room. She crawled into bed and covered up, but was still too upset about all the things that had happened to be able to fall asleep.

The door opened and closed quietly and Hermione didn't turn to look. Draco lightly lifted the covers and put his arms around Hermione and pulled her to him tightly. He kissed her neck and then her shoulders and she turned over and looked into his eyes.

Her heart hadn't changed about him even after seeing him at his worst, she knew she was in over her head in love with him.

He stopped kissing her and whispered in her ear. "I am sorry Hermione," he offered.

"Me too," she said as she relaxed in his arms and drifted off to sleep.


	33. Chapter 33

Ch. 33

Hermione slept through to the next day and woke up at around noon. Draco wasn't next to her, but her candle was lit and there were flowers on the table next to the bed. She had a hard time deciphering what was a dream or not in all the things that had happened recently. The back of her head ached and she touched it and winced.

"Falling off the stairs definitely happened," she remarked to herself. That meant that what happened between Draco and his father hadn't been a dream. She remembered being angry at all of them for thinking she might break the engagement…and fighting with Narcissa.

She sat up in bed and as she did it made her head hurt. "I might need to go to St. Mungo's," she thought. She wondered how Lucious was holding up after his injury the day before and wondered also where Draco had gone. She stood up and felt dizzy and held onto the wall as she walked herself out onto the patio and into the sunlight.

When the sun hit her face the rays warmed her whole body and she felt so comfortable that she could have drifted back off to sleep had someone not come back into the room. She held onto the railing and peered back into the room.

Draco was quiet as he walked around the room. As Hermione looked at the bed she saw the blankets and pillows were so jumbled together that it looked like someone was still sleeping there. Draco must have thought the same thing because he came in and gently sat down on the bed and reached his hand overtop the blankets and patted them, trying to comfort Hermione. She watched the way he lovingly tried to comfort her and her heart fell full when she thought about becoming his wife. She called out to him, "Draco."

When he saw her standing out on the patio, the sun was behind her and she looked like an angel. The wind was lightly blowing her hair. He looked down at the blanket he was comforting and back up at Hermione and then he stood up. He walked over to her and the first thing he did was lean into her and kiss her. He lightly held her head as he started to kiss her more passionately.

"Ouch," she said as she winced her eyes in pain and grabbed her head.

"Are you okay?" he felt guilty that he hurt her.

"No," she replied honestly.

"Can I help you back to the bed?" Draco asked with concern, holding out his hand.

Hermione put her hand in his and he led her to the bed. "I need to go to St. Mungo's," she told him, knowing the injury wasn't going to get better.

"Sure, let me get some traveling cloaks." He left immediately and returned quickly with cloaks and some flu powder. "We need to walk to the front room fire place to leave."

"Why are we traveling by flu powder?" She asked, thinking they would apparate.

"We don't know the extent of your injuries, we're not going to risk it Hermione." He let her know in a tone that told her he wasn't going to argue.

She trusted his judgement and grabbed the cloak from him and put in on while wincing in pain again. When they made it to the front room to use the fire place she saw that Lucious was still on the couch and didn't look well.

Narcissa saw them approach and left her spot and Lucious's side. "You look much better Hermione," she offered. Hermione smiled and nodded and looked past Narcissa with a concerned look at Lucious.

"He's not feeling any better?" Draco asked his mother.

"No, the potion has only reduced some of his pain but he's not well." Narcissa was wringing her hands.

"Why don't we take him to St. Mungo's?" Hermione offered while Draco and his mother just looked at her in a way that said they would rather not. "What?" she asked.

"Draco…" Narcissa began, imploring her son to explain something to his fiancé.

"Look Hermione, we can't just take him there. Everyone knows that my family did the dark lords work and not one healer will be willing to help someone who caused pain to so many." It hurt Draco to have to explain this to her.

"But they take an oath!" Hermione said, incredulous.

Draco and his mother continued to look at her the same way they had before when Draco proceeded to get ready to go and grabbed the flu powder.

"We'll be back," he said firmly to his mother who nodded.

"We're not leaving him here Draco!"

"We have to, he's on house arrest, there's nothing we can do." He had a solemn look on his face.

Hermione held her head and winced again. Arguing with Draco was causing her pain. He stood behind her and grabbed her arm and steered her towards the fire and threw the powder in. "St. Mungo's" she called out as she stepped into the flames. When she came out she landed on something soft. She had been expecting a cold hard crash like what happened a few other times she used flu powder. She got up and as she did Draco came tumbling in.

The hospital was busy with people sitting along the walls and all their issues were on display. One guy had a second head growing out of his neck, one lady appeared to have glued a pillow to her head.

Hermione walked up to the desk and checked in with the witch at the front.

"Welcome to St. Mungo's, what are you here for today?" she asked.

"Head pain, I think I may have a fracture…"

"5th floor, bones," the witch said as she pointed upwards.

Draco took her hand and walked with her as they made it up to the 5th floor, monitoring her for pain and being a little overbearing in his concern.

When they made it to the 5th floor they were brought right back into a room.

Hermione sat on the bed and waited while Draco leaned up against a wall, unwilling to take a seat.

After a few minutes a healer came in and introduced himself. "I'm Healer Edmond, and I know who you are." He said, awe struck. He appeared to only be a few years older than Hermione, with blue eyes and dirty blonde hair. Normally Hermione would have found him attractive but she had other things on her mind at the moment.

Hermione was polite. "Thank you very much for seeing me as soon as we got here," she said thankfully. The healer smiled at her and then looked at Draco and wiped the smile from his face. All of a sudden he became more businesslike.

"I see the rumors are indeed true," he commented to Hermione about her relationship with Draco.

"Clearly," Draco said sarcastically.

"I'm sorry Healer Edmond, you'll have to forgive my fiancé, he gets like this if I'm not feeling well." She knew he was just being over protective and the fact that he couldn't help her was causing him to be stressed out.

The healer raised his eyebrows, "I'll need to see her alone for a few questions Mr. Malfoy."

Draco looked taken aback but hadn't moved. He looked over at Hermione.

"It's fine for him to stay, isn't it?" Hermione asked uncertainly. She reached out for Draco's hand and he grabbed it as he stood next to her.

"If you want me to I will." Draco answered her.

She sighed and appeared more relaxed, even the healer noticed it too.

"Okay," he began, "You're welcome to change your mind at any time." He reminded her while Draco glared at him.

Hermione squeezed his hand to reassure him that she wasn't going to change her mind.

"I have a list of questions I'll need to run through with you today regarding your injuries," he said dryly. "First, do you feel safe in your home?"

"Yes," Hermione answered without any hesitation.

"Is your home environment stable?"

"Well I live at the school most of the year," she said as he nodded. "So far this summer I've stayed with my parents and with Draco and his family…" she tried to explain.

"Do you feel safe in _all_ of those environments?" He pressed and added emphasis to the word "all."

"Didn't she already answer this?" Draco said in an irritated voice. He felt they were treating Hermione differently because she was with him.

The healer ignored Draco and continued to look at Hermione for an answer.

"Yes, perfectly safe," Hermione answered again.

The healer seemed satisfied with her response and stood up. "I'm going to begin the examination," he said as he took out his wand and moved closer to her. He said a few spells and pointed his wand at her head and then was quickly finished.

"You fractured your skull, kind of hard to get an injury like that…" he said as he looked between Hermione and Draco. Draco had nothing but concern in his features and his eyes were starting to get red.

Hermione started to blush thinking about having to explain the incident, it was embarrassing to admit she had gotten injured while drunk. "It was after my engagement party Friday night. We had guests come and stay into the morning hours and I'll admit I had a little too much to drink. Yesterday I spent the day resting wondering if it was an effect of the alcohol, but this afternoon when I got up I still hurt pretty bad." She finished.

"You hurt your head from drinking?" he tried to clarify.

"No," Draco spoke with a shaky voice. "She was putting bottles away in the cellar and when she came up the stairs, she…" he paused, thinking about everything that had happened.

Hermione finished where he paused. "I didn't have good footing or coordination and I completely fell off the stairs."

"And her head hit the concrete floor, hard. I heard a sound when it happened that wasn't right." He recalled.

"You should have brought her in that night," he scolded Draco. "You're lucky your injuries aren't much worse Ms. Granger."

Hermione just looked at the healer with a serious look and Draco covered his eyes for a moment, thinking of the worst that could have happened to his future bride.

"I'm going to ask that you stay a few hours today while I give you some things to take. After that you're free to go, but I suggest that you rest."

Hermione nodded.

"And a word of advice," he looked at Hermione as he spoke. "You're too valuable to the wizarding world to be cracking your head open and dying Ms. Granger. Might be a good idea to stay away from alcohol." He offered.

She blushed again in embarrassment as she agreed. "I will, thank you," she returned.

The healer left and Hermione looked over at Draco who had wiped his eyes. Hearing that things could have been worse for her had an effect on Draco.

He noticed Hermione looking at him and put his hand on her forehead and then he brought it down to brush her cheek. "I never want to think that something bad is going to happen to you, I feel like I should have been able to do something to stop you from getting hurt."

She could see that he was blaming himself for what happened. "Draco, how can you even say that? It was an accident. The healer is right, if I wasn't drinking this wouldn't have happened."

He didn't seem satisfied with her answer and pulled up a chair so he could sit next to her and hold her hand.

The healer came in with a few potions for Hermione to drink. "The first is a potion to help with pain, the second is skelegrow, and the third is to make the skelegrow work faster so you can be discharged today." He explained.

She took the first potion and gulped it down quickly so that she didn't have to smell it. She noticed that as she drank it there was an odor and the smell just about gagged her. She held her hand to her mouth.

"The quicker you drink them the better," the healer offered seeing her reaction.

Draco handed her the next glass instead of waiting for her to find her courage. When she took it from him he grabbed the second one and handed that to her as well. She started coughing after she downed the skelegrow and Draco rubbed her back and was encouraging her to drink the third drink.

"Gross," Hermione shared as she made a sour face.

Draco smoothed her hair and leaned in to kiss her on the forehead.

The healer had his questions at first regarding her and Draco, but he couldn't doubt what she saw in him when he was so loving to her. To everyone else Draco could appear to be arrogant, not to mention prideful at times and very sarcastic, but it was obvious that Hermione was his number one priority.

Hermione had to take the potions again every hour for the next three hours, and after the last exam the healer said they were free to go. Hermione's injury still felt tender, but he said it could still feel that way for several more days.

"If there's ever anything you need please don't hesitate," he said to Hermione.

"That's very kind," she said and then thought for a moment. "Do you really mean that?" she pressed.

"Yes, you and your friends saved all of us, I'd be happy to help you again." He replied as he started to leave.

"As it so happens I am in need of a big favor. I know someone who's really sick and they can't make it in to the hospital," she began.

"Oh, that's easy," he said as he handed her a card. "Call the main line and they can dispatch someone." He smiled at her.

"I don't think that would work," she said in a low tone.

"Hermione, he won't." Draco piped in.

More than anything, Draco's resistance made healer Edmond interested. "Why wouldn't that work?"

She started to answer and then wondered if she should show all of her cards. "You did swear an oath to help people, am I correct?"

"Yes, that's correct." He replied.

"And you seem like the kind of person that wouldn't break that oath," she tried to flatter and test him at the same time.

The attempt to flatter him was successful and he looked uncomfortably at Draco, glad that Draco wasn't able to read his mind with what he was thinking about Hermione. "I appreciate that," he returned as he blushed.

"Can I ask you something?" She pressed and he nodded. "Do you trust me?"

Draco didn't like her approach because he thought she was basically flirting with him, but he saw that her approach was effective and tried to keep his opinions to himself so he didn't ruin her strategy.

Healer Edmond didn't hesitate, "of course," he returned.

"When your shift ends will you apparate with me?" she asked expectantly.

He looked at Draco who didn't look at him and back to Hermione. "Sure, let's go."

"Your shift is over?" she asked.

"…it's been over for a few hours…I really wanted to meet you…" he answered honestly. Draco couldn't help glaring in his direction this time.

Hermione gave him a warm smile as she stood up. "Hold my hand, I'll aparrate both of us." She reached out and he put his hand in hers. "Meet me there Draco," she said to him as she spoke past the irritated look on his face.

In a moment they were gone and transported to a garden with a large yard and an even bigger house in front of it. "Where are we?" he asked.

"This is Malfoy Manor," she answered him as she released his hand.

"Why did you bring me here?" he sounded disgusted.

"Because the person I need you to help is Lucious Malfoy." She returned as she took in his expression. He looked livid. "I knew if I told you just the name you might not help, but you assured me that you keep your word. I was assured of your integrity before asking you to come," she pointed out.

He still seemed angry as he pursed his lips. "Very well," he said coldly, "lead the way."

"Thank you healer Edmond," she said with relief as she stepped closer to him and her eyes swam with tears. Just then Draco had come out into the garden and walked towards them.

The healer didn't care if Draco heard or not. "I don't understand why you would go to any trouble for Lucious Malfoy, especially when he probably hunted for you when you-know-who returned to power?!"

"He can grow on you," Hermione answered. "Plus, no matter what, he's Draco's father." She added in a soft tone.

"You must really love your fiancé to go to such lengths," he said as he sized Draco up.

Hermione stood next to him and laced her fingers with his. "Very much so," she said as she looked up at Draco and noticed he was already looking at her.

"I can't believe I'm doing this," the healer said in an irritated voice as Hermione turned around and led the way. When she got into the house she found that Lucious was still in the living room on the couch looking much worse. She sat down between Lucious and Narcissa and quietly explained who the guest with her was and why he was there. Neither of them spoke and Narcissa had a very worried look on her face as she nodded her head at Hermione.

Draco stood beside the healer in the middle of the front room, shocked by how much worse his father looked. If Hermione hadn't worked out this house visit, he didn't want to think of what could have happened.

The healer approached Lucious who was just wincing in pain as he introduced himself. Then he pulled out his wand and began doing the exam to find out what was going on. He was an extremely skilled healer and even though Hermione didn't know it, she couldn't have made a better choice. The exam took a lot longer than it had for Hermione.

"I need a moment please," he said when he was done and he looked at Draco and Hermione. "Would you two mind a word?" he said in a way that sounded like a question but was more of a demand.

Draco and Hermione steered him into the dining room and waited with bated breath to see what he had to say.

"I'm going to ask a question and I want the truth," he began.

"Of course," Hermione replied quickly while Draco nodded.

"Did someone preform the crutiatus curse on him?" he asked skeptically.

"Yes," Draco answered quickly in a flat tone.

"I don't need to know who did it and I don't care to hear the circumstances around what happened, but I want to make it clear that he won't survive another curse like that."

Hermione inhaled sharply and Draco's eyes became red for the second time that evening. "You will be able to help him, won't you?" he pleaded.

"Yes, but there's extensive damage to his internal organs, it's amazing he survived. If you had waited until morning to get some help for him he certainly wouldn't be here." He returned.

Draco put his hand on Hermione's shoulder for support and she did her best to support him.

"I will need some potions though…" he began.

"Draco's an excellent potions master," Hermione pointed out.

"Great, I'll make a list of the potions I need," he said as he wrote down a few. "Do you have everything you need for these?" he asked.

"Yeah, I think so…" he said as he considered the list. "I'll go get started," he said, understanding the urgency.

"I'm going to explain the treatment to your father," he said as he turned around.

Hermione found herself left with nothing to do. "What can I do?" she asked the healer as he headed into the next room.

"You can rest," he returned as he continued to walk into the living room. Hermione followed him and took a seat in a chair in the living room opposite Narcissa and Lucious that was close to the fire. Technically she was resting.

When she sat down she realized how tired she was and drifted back and forth between sleep and consciousness. She woke up when she heard Draco's voice and saw him giving the healer the potions he requested. The healer took a drop from each one to sample before nodding his head. "These are perfect," he added as he looked at Draco with a keen eye. He had underestimated him. "Have you ever thought about working for St. Mungo's?" he asked seriously.

"No," Draco returned in a way that said he wasn't interested.

"Well if you ever do…" the healer began and then handed the potions to Lucious while he did spells to repair the damage. Hermione fell asleep again and when she woke up it was because someone was shaking her slightly.

"Hermione," Draco's voice said softly in her ear. It was black as night outside and she saw the healer was still there. "He's nearly done and I knew you would want to see him before he leaves." Draco said kindly.

"Hmm? Yeah," she said as she held out her hand for Draco to lift her up. She wrapped her arms around him as she stood up. She looked over at Lucious and he still seemed to be in pain but he did look better. The potions were working.

The healer said some things to Narcissa and Lucious and then came over to Draco and Hermione. "He's going to do just fine, but he also needs to rest. In a week he should be good as new as long as you continue to give him the potions he needs daily," he said in a tired voice.

"We can't thank you enough for your help, without you Lucious would be..." Hermione began while Draco shuddered.

The healer wasn't as disgusted now as when he first came to the house. He found Draco's parents to be polite and respectful despite the disdain he showed them in the beginning. He still didn't care for them, but didn't find them to be totally terrible people.

"You're welcome," he said as he looked at Draco. "Nice work on those potions, see that she gets some rest or you'll be back to see me soon." And then he looked at Hermione intently, "as much as I would like to see you again, I'd like to make sure you were in good health first." He found Hermione even more fascinating considering her relationship with her in laws. He tried to flirt with her, "she isn't married yet," he thought.

"Draco and I would love to get together with you soon," she smiled as warmly as she could for being so tired.

His face fell a little because he hadn't extended the invitation to Draco, but he understood, she was engaged to be married after all. He returned her smile.

"Let me walk you out," Draco said as he steered Hermione back to her chair and left the room with the healer.

Hermione was alone with her in laws but happy that things were not as dire for them as they had been earlier. She started to drift off and then kept waking up, she wasn't very comfortable. When Draco came back in a few moments later, he and his mother did some spells to levitate Lucious so they could get him to his own bed without using so much of his energy. After she watched them carry him off she drifted off to sleep.

That evening she felt herself be lifted into a pair of strong arms and carried off to safety. She was too tired to open her eyes, but her heart told her that Draco was there. He laid her down on the bed and covered her and himself up with the blankets, snuggling close to her.


	34. Chapter 34

Ch. 34

With Lucious's and Hermione's strict schedule of potions it meant that they were staying at the manor for another week. No one seemed to mind the extra time as they all got along pretty well anyways. Lucious had made an effort to be a lot warmer to Hermione than he had ever been, and Narcissa was grateful for the lengths she went to for them. They also knew this was their last week of break before they were to settle back in at the castle for another term together.

Hermione recovered quickly and after a few days talked to Draco about seeing her parents before going back.

"I've been thinking," she started.

"That can be dangerous," he said as he smirked at her and pulled her in for a kiss while she laughed.

"I want to go spend some time with my parents before the term starts. I know your father needs you here, and I don't want to be without you, but I really miss them."

He relaxed his hold on her waist as he exhaled. "I'm going to have you all term, I suppose I can share you for a few days."

She pulled him down to kiss her and she pushed her body against his. "I'm going to need another candle," she said between kisses.

"Sure," he said as he kissed her back. "I can make one for you and bring it to your parent's house tomorrow."

He let Hermione push him closer and then down onto the bed while he continued to kiss her. She was on top of him and laying her body on top of his while she ran her fingers through his hair. They were interrupted by a knock on the door.

"What," Draco yelled out without moving.

It was his mother. "It's nearly time for your father's potions, do you have them ready?" she asked.

"Sorry Hermione," he said, and he really did look sorry. He kissed her forehead as he got up to open the door and left with his mother.

Hermione sighed and picked herself up to follow Draco out of the room. She caught up to him and his mother in the front room and followed them into the kitchen where Draco kept his cauldron. She enjoyed watching him brew potions and the precise way he measured and added things; it was clear that Snape had taught him things that weren't in the usual spell books at school. He added ingredients and then stirred, clockwise, counter clockwise, all with a focused look on his face that she enjoyed. She could easily watch him brew potions all day and it was amazing to her that the potions didn't take all day to brew. Before long he poured them into different bottles so his father had a many day supply at hand.

He took a few bottles out to his father who was at the table. Hermione hadn't noticed since she had been so focused on Draco, but Narcissa had already cooked breakfast.

"Let me help with those," Hermione said as she grabbed a few plates to take to the table. She went out into the dining room and sat next to Lucious. He had regained most of his health and would only need the potions for a few more days at most.

When they all sat down to eat Draco made an announcement. "Hermione and I are going to visit her parents for a few days."

Hermione didn't expect Draco to go with her and she looked at him with confusion. Both his parents weren't expecting this and looked surprised. "I'm sure you miss your parents," Narcissa said. "You haven't seen them since the engagement party."

"Yeah, I want to spend some time with them before I head back," Hermione said as she took a bite and eyed Draco for a moment, wanting to ask him about his decision to come with her.

"I have enough potions made up for you until the doses are complete," he said to his father as Lucious nodded.

"Are you leaving today then?" Lucious asked Draco in a sad tone.

"Yes. I'll come back before term to say goodbye. And if you need anything you can always write and I can apparate home from Hogsmead," he reassured his dad.

Lucious nodded again as he addressed Hermione. "Narcissa and I wanted to bring something up to the both of you." He looked at his wife who smiled at him. "We know you both are trying to save up for a place of your own, but that's a big responsibility. We want you to know that you're welcome to live here…together…long term…if that's what you want."

Hermione was surprised and wasn't sure what to say and just looked at Draco. She had already been basically living there for most of the break, and with them both working so many months out of the year it didn't make sense for them to get their own place just for the summer. Plus the house was so big that they really did have their privacy.

"Were you planning on kicking me out before?" Draco said as he laughed. He was confused since he always felt that him living there long term was implied even though they never said it to him. Hermione realized the speech was actually just an invitation to make her aware.

"We just wanted to clarify since Hermione might not know we felt that way," his mother pointed out.

Draco just nodded but didn't look at Hermione, he didn't want to make her feel on the spot and never expected her to stay over in the first place after what her experience in the house had been and didn't know how she would react to the idea of living there.

There was a bit of an awkward silence when Lucious spoke again. "In all our excitement we missed the article that Skeeter woman wrote about the party," he said as he threw a paper over towards Draco and Hermione. She picked it up to see a picture of herself and Draco welcoming some guests to their party.

"The Engagement of the Century," Hermione read the title aloud.

"My readers will remember when I wrote about Draco Malfoy's run in at Gringotts and his declaration of a fiancé. Shortly after the article I was contacted by none other than Hermione Granger herself not only confirming the rumor that she was in fact engaged to the once bad boy supporter of you-know-who, but to formally invite me to their engagement party. Being very close to Hermione Granger from the days of her youth during the triwizard tournament, I of course attended."

Hermione scoffed at Draco and continued reading. He was surprised she had only scoffed once so far as it was.

"The young couple, pictured to the right, was extremely delightful, and this reporter is happy to mention, very much in love. There were many guests such as…"

Hermione skipped over the names and started reading after the guest list concluded.

"…and the decorations were simply delightful. The most surprising part of my evening wasn't finding the Granger girl without influence of a love potion, which I admit I did consider when I had first heard of the engagement, or running into Harry Potter who accompanied Ginny Weasley to the party, but the behavior of Lucious and Narcissa Malfoy."

Hermione sighed and set the paper down for a minute and looked at Draco, "here we go," she said sarcastically as she picked the paper back up and started reading.

"The couple, famous for crimes against the wizarding community and for flagrant attacks on muggles, were seen laughing the night away with Mr. and Mrs. Granger, the muggle parents of Hermione Granger. I was even surprised when Ms. Granger herself introduced me to her in-laws and they were full of her praises. This behavior by the Malfoy's was particularly odd, but wasn't lost on many of the guests who fought against them in the wizard war. One guest who is particularly close to the couple said that while Hermione and Draco are in the beginning stages of their relationship, they believe that Draco was under pressure from his parents to marry her to change their image."

"Really!" Hermione said in a huff as she threw down the paper angrily. "I'm not reading anymore."

"I think you'll want to…" Lucious added.

Hermione hesitantly picked up the paper again and looked at him skeptically before continuing.

"From what this reporter witnessed at the event it was clear that this wasn't the case and that both families seem to get along relatively well. The Grangers spoke very well of their son in law and it seems Draco has won them over, despite Mr. Granger being the type that some might call overbearing, a trait that his daughter is also known to share.

Some have wondered how it was even possible for these two to get together given their obvious differences, and their guests were able to offer plenty of insight. While there were several friends of Ms. Granger there, the same could not be said for young mister Malfoy who appears to have severed all connections to friends from his school days. I'm as skeptical as the next person when I hear that someone has changed, but in this case, it really appears to be genuine that both him and his parents are indeed good enough for Ms. Granger.

With these two highly eligible people being matched together in what some are calling the engagement of the century, since there hasn't been a high profile wedding of this type since the wedding of Olivander and Lupin nearly 50 years ago, the next question many of you may be asking is about the date of the wedding. Unfortunately, on that score, my readers will have to wait for more details!

Rita-"

Hermione folded the paper and sat it down at the table. "I'm not overbearing," she lightly laughed and looked around the table to see that no one else was laughing and Draco was actually avoiding her gaze. "Well at least the article ended on a good note," she offered, changing the subject.

"Exactly," Lucious added as he looked at Hermione.

"She brought up a good point, the both of you do need to set a date," Narcissa reminded them.

"I guess with everything going on we just haven't had a chance to think about it…" Hermione mentioned as she looked at Draco.

She was wearing a shirt that exposed the side of her shoulder. Draco reached his hand to her shoulder and let his fingers over to trail down from her shoulder to her wrist while he looked into her eyes with a focused look. "We could get married next summer," he suggested.

Hermione's face fell a little. "Next summer, that's such a long time."

Draco smiled, he didn't want to wait that long either.

His parents felt like they were eavesdropping and didn't want to get in the middle of the conversation. Lucious scooted his chair away from the table and wished them well at Hermione's parent's house. "You'll both be coming back to say goodbye I assume?" he asked Hermione.

Hermione hadn't thought about it. She knew that Lucious had been nicer to her since everything happened with Draco after the party, but she wondered if it was going to be short lived. He had expressed sentiments that she never imagined he would, but thought of these more as an effect from his pain and potions to treat his ailments and hadn't considered the idea that he was entirely genuine. "If that's okay?" She asked in reply.

"Of course," Lucious replied while Draco looked at Hermione, not sure why she would reply that way.

"We better get going," Draco announced as he stood up. "I'll show you where your potions are set out." He said as he led his father into the kitchen.

Hermione and Narcissa were alone at the table when Narcissa spoke. "I don't think I could say thank you on behalf of Lucious or myself enough for what you've done for him."

She caught Hermione off guard. "Oh, no problem," she added humbly. "Almost anyone would have done the same thing…" she said referring to the recent events.

"No, you have to know that isn't true. You're modest Hermione, but you're an extraordinary person to have done the things you've done. For what it's worth, I'm proud that you're joining our family." She added as she got up from the table and joined the guys in the kitchen. Hermione sat there alone for a moment surprised by what her soon to be mother in law had said.

She marveled at how much had changed in a year, getting to know Draco, meeting his family, and then becoming engaged to him. Further, her view of his home before and the view now had changed significantly as well as her view of his parents. Her thoughts were broken when Draco walked out of the kitchen and smirked in her direction. She smiled back and got up from the table and got ready to leave for her parent's house.


	35. Chapter 35

Ch. 35

When they arrived in the backyard Monica came out to meet them. "Draco, I didn't know you were coming!" she said with enthusiasm.

"Nice to see you," he said as he returned the hug she gave him. Then she reached out to hug Hermione.

Wendell came out and gave his daughter a hug and shook Draco's hand before welcoming them inside.

Once inside they played board games, laughed, and watched tv until it was past midnight. "It's nearly one o'clock!" Monica said as she got up and announced she was ready for bed. Wendell went with her as he gave Hermione another hug and left the two of them in the living room.

"I'm glad we came to see them," Hermione said as she yawned.

"Me too. Why don't we head up to bed?" he asked.

She didn't answer his question but asked one of her own. "Why did you decide to come with me?"

"Do you wish I hadn't?" he asked.

"No, I'm glad you came. I just didn't expect it. I didn't want you to leave your father while he was sick on account of me." She added guiltily.

"I left him what he needed. He's doing better, plus he has my mother who can help him." He sat closer to the edge of his chair and touched Hermione's hand.

"You didn't want any time alone?" she clarified.

"I just want time with you," he said in a soft voice as she stood up from her chair and placed herself on Draco's lap. Then she leaned in to kiss him and he leaned forward to meet her kiss. After several seconds they broke apart.

She kissed him again and then laid her head on his shoulder and they both sat their relaxing until they fell asleep. In the morning Draco woke up first with Hermione in his arms to find himself relaxed in the recliner he was sitting in the night before. He fully intended to carry Hermione up to bed the night before but he realized he must have dozed off. He started to stir and then lightly lifted Hermione up when he saw Wendell in the living room sitting across from them reading the newspaper.

Wendell lowered the paper and Draco was surprised to see that Wendell didn't look angry. He nodded at Draco and had a friendly look on his face. "Morning," he began.

"I didn't mean to sleep down here," Draco replied as he proceeded to pick Hermione up.

"It's alright, just let her rest," he motioned for Draco to sit Hermione back down.

Draco lightly lowered her back down onto him and sat down in the recliner. He didn't talk much but closed his eyes and hoped Hermione would wake up soon. After a while he fell back asleep and he felt Hermione start to stir.

"Draco," she asked for him in a soft voice.

"I'm here," he squeezed her and she planted her lips on his. Draco's eyes shot open and he pulled her off of him, wondering if her dad had still been sitting there. When he looked up Wendell wasn't there. Draco sighed in relief.

"What?" she asked.

"You dad was in here earlier, I must have fallen asleep again." He sat up a little more as Hermione continued to hold on to him, not ready to get up.

She sniffed the air, "It smells like he's making breakfast," she said as she got up and pulled him out of the chair.

The rest of the day was similar to the day before. Her family spent time together and had a low-key day at home. Hermione helped cook a muggle dinner that had a few burn marks on it. She flipped the burned side down before putting the food on everyone's plate and everyone pretended not to notice while they ate. That night she let her parents know she was going to spend one day at the burrow before heading back to school.

This was news to Draco who thought they were spending the last day with her parents, but he didn't want to talk to her about it in front of them. After her parents went to bed he brought up the subject.

"Why didn't you mention you wanted to go to see the Weasleys?" He asked as they got ready for bed in her room."

"Well it's not just them, there's also Harry…" she stopped to look at him, his expression unreadable.

"There's also Ron," he said, saying his name for the first time.

"So?" Hermione added.

"I don't like the way he looks at you," Draco said matter of factly.

"Oh please, there's nothing between us, and there hasn't been for a long time." She gave him a quizzical look. "This isn't like you, being jealous…"

"I'm not jealous of Weasley!" He looked disgusted.

"Then what's the issue?" She asked with irritation.

"Why don't you have any friends that are girls that you could visit?"

"I do, Ginny also happens to live there!" Hermione pointed out.

"Weasley still has feelings for you, he hit on you pretty badly at the party," Draco admitted.

"That's ridiculous Draco, Ron wouldn't do something like that!"

"He did! You don't even remember what he did and you still defend him…" Draco trailed off.

"I'm not defending anything, we're just friends and nothing more. If you can't trust Ron, then you should at least be able to trust me Draco!" she said angrily as she glared at him.

He started to get angry too and then his features relaxed. "You're right Hermione, I'm sorry." Even though Ron had hit on Hermione, Draco didn't see her reciprocating any of his attentions.

"I know I am!" She said still angry with him, her chest heaving. As he looked down to avoid her glare she took a few deep breaths and tried to see things from Draco's point of view. "Sorry if I just sprung it on you to visit them." She sat down next to Draco and touched his hand. "You have nothing to be worried about," she reassured him.

"I know, you would never do something to make me not trust you." He said as he rubbed her back.

"Let's just get some rest okay? We're heading out after we wake up." She said as she got up and into bed. Draco followed her and turned off the light. He wasn't upset, but he still wasn't happy either. He knew Hermione would just have to see for herself because she wasn't going to listen to him, she had her mind made up.

The next morning Draco looked like he hadn't slept well. He was up and ready before Hermione and was having coffee with her dad in the kitchen when she came down to see him. After her mom got up they had breakfast and she gave them hugs when she was ready to go. "I'll write from school, and I want to make some holiday plans too," she said to them before she left.

They apparated to the burrow. Hermione wound up in the yard close to the house, but Draco had apparated to the main road that led to the house. Hermione waited while he walked slowly to catch up with her. As he reached her his expression was still unreadable and she decided not to question him about it. She knew he probably wasn't comfortable around her friends but tolerated them for her sake and she appreciated that he still wanted to come versus deciding not to and going back home. She grabbed his hand as the front door opened and Ginny came out, followed by Harry and then Ron.

She let go of Draco's hand just long enough to hug each of them. "Hi, glad you could come," Harry said to Draco. Even though Draco helped him out at Gringotts things were still awkward around Draco. He may be Hermione's fiancé, but he wasn't Harry's friend, just someone he could learn to tolerate. Harry had to admit that he did see the attraction between them though since they both had more serious personalities.

Ron didn't greet Draco at all and pretended he wasn't there while Ginny offered for everyone to come inside.

Draco wasn't sure about going into the house, it looked like it was held up with sticks and like a strong wind might blow the whole place over. Besides Hagrid's house, he hadn't been in this shabby of a place before. There didn't appear to be much of a sense of decorating as paintings or knick knacks were hung all over the wall in various places. He tried to keep an impassive look on his face so Hermione didn't think he was being judgmental. When he thought about it, he didn't mind being in the house, he was still irritated about Ron's behavior during the engagement party.

When they all came to the living room there was one chair and two couches. Draco instantly took the chair that seated one. He decided while he was here he was going to give Hermione the chance to see what he was talking about with Ron and created the opportunity for him to sit next to her.

Hermione didn't seem to notice and sat down on the couch as Ron sat next to her.

They talked for about an hour before Harry talked them into playing quittich outside. Hermione didn't want to play, but Harry persuaded her once the others were outside.

"You can't just let Draco and Ron be on a team Hermione, it could be a disaster," he whispered to her as Draco and Ron were choosing between the old brooms in the shed.

Draco didn't want to be caught dead on any of the brooms they had and was just about to say he wouldn't play when Hermione edged in and grabbed a broom.

"What are you doing?" Draco asked her.

"I'm playing, I'm on your and Ron's team," she said as she left the shed and got on the broom. She wasn't very steady on the broom but feigned confidence. She wondered how she would even get past the first bludger when Ginny handed her a bat.

"Try not to hit Ron in the face," Ginny said as she winked at her.

Hermione laughed and grabbed the bat and left her other hand on the broom. She looked uneasy but she gave Draco a confident smile.

It made Draco happy to see her attempting to play quittich and it was something he hadn't done with her before. Her uneasy posture on her broom and the smile of assurance she gave him made him laugh. He zoomed up next to her. "You're doing well for your first time," he lied.

"Thank you, I'm sure I'll fall off at some point," she smiled at him as he leaned in to kiss her. Then he zoomed away to guard the makeshift hoop that was set up.

When the game started, they decided not to use the snitch because they didn't have enough players, so only goals through the posts counted. Ginny hit a bludger at Ron and then the Quaffle at Draco, who blocked it. Ron then took the quaffle and threw it quickly down at Harry who blocked it.

"You're going to have to make yourself useful Hermione!" Ron shouted in her direction.

Draco agreed with Ron but felt a little sorry for Hermione who was just learning how to play the game as she took off on the other side of the field. She thought it was good to add some momentum to the game by moving herself. As it turned out, riding a broom was the only quittich strategy she knew. She looked over at Draco with an uncertain look on her face as he smirked at her.

She turned back around and noticed the quaffle was in play again and brought up her bat to try to hit it. As Ron zoomed in to try to grab it she managed to hit him hard on the arm. Draco busted out laughing as Hermione put the bat down and grabbed Ron's arm. "I'm so sorry Ron," she said as he tugged away at first then relaxed and moved back for her to touch his arm.

"That really hurt, I'm glad that wasn't my head," he said in a hurt tone.

Hermione obviously felt guilty and Draco saw that Ron was laying it on thick. She became aware of her hand lingering on Ron and removed it quickly. "It wasn't on purpose Ron," she stated as she looked over at Ginny for help.

Ginny also knew what he was doing. "Stop being a baby Won Won!" she yelled while everyone else sniggered at him. This gave him enough motivation to stop his whining and continue the game. Hermione purposely didn't look back at Draco because she didn't want to see the look he gave her for touching Ron, she didn't want to relive the argument from last night.

As the quaffle came toward her again she zoomed out in front of it and stopped it, however it hit her hard in the stomach and she nearly fell off her broom. Draco flew over to her quickly. "You did great Hermione," he said as he rubbed her back. "Are you feeling okay? We can take a break…" he offered.

The game had just started and if she was being honest she wanted this to be the last game she ever played. In her opinion, quittich was much more fun to watch than play. "I'm good," she recovered as she sat back upright on the broom.

"If you're sure?" Draco asked as he slowly flew away from her and went back to the posts. Ron flew over to Hermione to discuss a strategy with her.

"You follow me up the field and I'll pass it to you long enough to get Ginny off of me and then you pass back to me when you're by the hoop so I can get it past Harry." She nodded her head in agreement.

"But," he continued, "If Ginny gets the quaffle fly back to block her."

"Okay," she answered seriously as she followed his direction and flew up the field with him. When the quaffle was hit again Ron caught it and as Ginny attempted to block him he passed it to Hermione. Harry was prepared for Hermione and blocked her shot, and Ron caught the rebound and threw it back past Harry and scored. Ron flew up to Hermione and hugged her. She was surprised at the affection he was showing but tried to be friendly and lightly hugged him back before going back to her side of the field and flying over to Draco.

"I actually helped score a point!" she said in an excited tone.

"You did," he returned with a focused look on his face. She could tell the hug bothered him and she turned around and resumed her post, acting like nothing had happened.

Draco looked at Ron with an irritated look while Ron caught his eye and smirked at him. Draco remembered the look Hermione gave him last time he used the crutiatis curse, but thought about how good it would feel to use it on Ron. A genuine smile appeared on his face and the game started up again as Ron shot the quaffle to Ginny. She caught it and out flew Ron and shot it at the hoop but missed. She then regained the ball and shot it again and made it. Harry cheered at the other end of the pitch.

"Malfoy! Oi!" Ron bellowed.

Draco ignored him, she had taken a good shot and happened to make it. He decided to offer Ron to play keeper. "The post is yours if you think you can do better Weasely." Draco said matter of factly. He knew Ron wouldn't take it, he'd lose his ability to show off in front of Hermione if he did.

Hermione had a bludger hit at her again and she used the bat once more to swat it away. This time Ron wasn't close enough to get hit by her. She sent it sailing to the ground instead of at another player. Her aim would need more focus. Now they just had the quaffle and all eyes were so focused on it that no one was going to be able to score.

Then Ginny shot the ball at Draco and he caught it just as it almost hit him in the face. He threw it over to Hermione and she took off down the pitch and passed it to Ron. With the bludger out of the way for the time being it was easier for her to play. Normally the bludger would have come back, but Draco bewitched it to give Hermione a better chance at playing. It was cute seeing her try so hard to win.

Harry noticed the bludger didn't make it back and guessed by the way Draco was looking at Hermione what had happened. He had never seen Hermione really get into any sport and knew she must really like Draco to have put the effort forward. When she got closer to Harry she passed the ball to Ron who smashed it through the hoop.

Ron hugged Hermione again and Hermione wriggled out of it quickly and flew to the center of the field to put some distance between them. Ginny swooped down to grab the bludger that wasn't working and did a spell to activate it again. She swung her bat hard and knocked it across the pitch and right into Hermione's chest. This time she did fall off her broom. It all happened so fast, but Draco grabbed his wand and slowed her descent quite a bit so she had a relatively soft landing. Everyone abandoned their positions and made it quickly down to her, concerned.

Ron knelt next to her and Harry and Ginny stood overtop of her, while Draco bent down and picked her up off the ground. "Hermione," he said her name as more of a question, wondering if she was okay.

"I'm okay," she said as she put her hand on his face and looked into his concerned eyes. The moment was broken when Ron coughed loudly. Draco could see Hermione get an uncomfortable look on her face and he set her down.

"I think we could take a break from playing," Draco offered to the group.

Ron wasn't as into the game as he might normally be since he was forced to be on a team with Malfoy. He just nodded his head in agreement.

"I don't want you to stop on account of me," Hermione complained. She was feeling guilty and she had tried really hard.

"It's fine, really," Ginny reassured her. "I've worked up an appetite after all this excitement, we should go grab something to eat," she said as she motioned back to the house.

Ron grabbed his stomach, "I'm starving now that you mention it," he added as Harry and Hermione laughed at him. He was still skinny and although he ate quite a bit no one ever knew where he put it all.

Once they were inside they were all gathered around the table and Mrs. Weasley laid out some things for them to eat. She was cordial to Draco, and he was polite to her, but there was also a tension that showed Mrs. Weasley was tolerating his presence more than welcoming him.

She sat down at the table with the group. "When are you getting married dear?" Mrs. Weasley asked her. Hermione remembered that Mrs. Weasley was a big fan of Rita Skeeter's and that no one, including herself and Draco knew the date of the wedding.

She didn't look at Draco as she answered, seeing an impassive look out of the corner of her eye. He was having a hard time fitting into her circle of friends and she could tell he was uncomfortable and doing his absolute best to mask it. "We are still talking it over, so we don't have a date yet," she admitted.

"No date? What options are you considering?" She directed her question at Draco. He was more direct than Hermione was.

"With school ending and starting again, we hadn't given it much thought. Once we're settled at school we plan to get the details figured out." The whole table looked at Draco and then uncertainly at Hermione.

"What?" She asked everyone blankly.

"It's just that…well…you always have a plan…" Harry spoke up. Ron had a smug smile on his face.

"I do, the end result is to marry Draco, I can take my time to get there, can't I?" she asked as she grabbed Draco's hand.

Her question was met with assurances and about taking as much time as she needed. Neither Draco or Ron said anything.

After steering the conversation off of her, Molly began to ask Draco questions about how he liked teaching and about potions he had made.

"You sound like you enjoy your profession very much," she added.

"Yes, I admit if feels more like an exact art and a subtle science at the same time."

"Snape used to say that," Ron remembered.

"Yeah, he was definitely my mentor." Draco pointed out as Ron snickered and Ginny glared at Ron.

"I have some potions that I've been having trouble with, you wouldn't mind looking at what I'm doing?" she asked.

"No, not at all," Draco said, finally excited for a moment to be in his element. He stood up and followed Mrs. Weasley out of the room.

As he got up to follow Molly, Hermione excused herself to go to the bathroom. A minute after she left Ron got up and Ginny and Harry were left alone at the table together.

When Hermione finished up she opened the door and Ron was standing there. "Oh, sorry, I didn't know anyone was waiting." She said as she walked out.

"I was hoping to talk to you, alone…" Ron said kindly.

"…sure…" she returned, caught off guard.

He led her to the front room where they could be alone and as she sat down he sat down directly next to her.

"What did you want to talk about?" she asked.

Ron had thought about this moment ever since the engagement party when he had seen Hermione with Draco and it had sunk in that she really was happy and he wasn't going to get her back. He had to let her know that his feelings for her hadn't changed. He had time to consider that when she said it was over, he always took having her around for granted and never imagined she was serious, he thought it had just been an extended spat.

It felt odd for Hermione to be sitting next to him after the affection he had shown her that day. She could tell there was something different going on with him, she just didn't know what.

"I was hoping we could talk about us…" he began. "About what happened with us, and the breakup."

Hermione was starting to see where this was going and she didn't want to discuss the subject. "What about it?"

"I didn't think we were seriously broken up, I mean, I haven't moved on or dated anyone. There's been loads of times where you wanted your space. I thought we would have figured things out and reconciled, but somehow you end up engaged to Malfoy of all people. What happened?" Ron felt like he must not have known Hermione at all for things to get so far out of perspective.

She was irritated on so many levels and the reason for the breakup came right back to her as she felt pain in her heart. It was always the same with Ron. "The biggest problem Ron is that I always felt that you didn't take me seriously and expected time to fix things instead of fixing them yourself. As much as I love you as a friend, I still believe that we're not a good match." Ron made a look that showed her honesty had hurt him. "I also want to make clear that Draco had nothing to do with it, so I don't think it's fair to bring him into this."

"And I think the problem is that you're too serious, even over the littlest details that have no significance. You're so uptight most of the time and it's hardly helpful," he said as his voice started to raise slightly.

"I'm not uptight!" She retorted. She was loud enough that most people in the house could hear her. Draco had just finished up with Mrs. Weasley and as she walked back into the kitchen with Harry and Ginny, he moved towards the living room. He could hear only Ron's and Hermione's voices and didn't want to intrude on the conversation, so he listened from outside the room and debated going back to the kitchen.

"Or overbearing, that's the word that's been going around, and I have to say, I think it fits."

Hermione stood up to leave the living room and Ron stood up after her and grabbed her hand. "I didn't mean to say that." He said with an apologetic look on his face while he locked his hand with hers. "I'm sorry. I didn't intend to say that to you." He could see the conversation had fallen apart.

"It's okay Ron," Hermione whispered, hurt. He always knew just how to cut her down without realizing it. It had been a long time since she felt pain like that, with Draco she never felt that way.

Ron could tell by her voice that he hurt her feelings and he instinctively but slowly pulled her in for a hug. She stood there for a moment not returning the hug but after a second she hugged him back and released. He pulled back from her but put his hands on her upper arms to keep contact with her.

"I was a jerk, I guess some things never change, huh?" he said, feeling guilty about the hurt he had caused.

She felt bad that he was beating himself up and it caused her to feel responsible. Maybe if she hadn't gotten upset with him things wouldn't have degraded like this? She always felt like it was her fault when Ron was upset with himself. The dynamic between them was uncomfortable for her and she realized she was far from missing it. She decided to ignore his comment.

"Ron," she whispered as she looked into his eyes in a loving way. "I will always love you," she began as Ron's eyes widened and Draco felt abashed on the other side of the wall, "but only as a friend. I'm sorry to let you down but I was perfectly serious when I ended things. You're a great guy," she reassured as he let her arms go.

"But I love you Hermione, I can't move on, I won't." His voice started to break as he said it.

"You might need to give your heart time to heal Ron." She returned kindly.

"I can't move on as easily as you did, you mean something to me," he said in an accusing way.

"Are you implying that my feelings weren't real?" She said with an irritated tone.

"They must not have been if you could move on so quickly." He just wanted to hear from her lips one more time that she cared about him.

"I can't help it that I fell in love Ron! You think I was expecting this?"

"So, you admit it, if Malfoy wasn't around we might still be together?" He pushed.

"I'm not saying that at all, and do you hear yourself? What kind of value does that give you as a partner if I was only with you, as you're implying, until someone better came along? You know me better than to think that." She was beside herself.

"I thought I knew you better, but then you went and got engaged to Malfoy. MALFOY Hermione!" He pointed out.

"Ron, I'm sorry that you didn't believe I was serious when I ended things. I never expected in the midst of a breakup that was one of the most difficult choices in my life, that I would find a friendship that would make me smile again. You and Harry had all but stopped any correspondence with me since the breakup, do you call that being my friend?" She had tears that had leaked down her face. "I had my dreams of being a teacher come to fruition and neither of my closest friends were there to share in my happiness. The truth is Ron, you're never happy for me, you seemed to want me as some kind of trophy that just agrees with everything you want, but that isn't who I am." Her chest was heaving. "And you sit here and try to abuse Draco to my face?" She said in a dangerous tone. "He is an incredible man, Ronald! I don't expect you to understand, but some people grow up from how they acted as children. I've never felt so valued and as in love as I feel with him."

Draco was sorry that Hermione had to find out about Ron's feelings like this. He didn't know that Weasley treated her the way he did and relied on bullying and pressuring her to his point of view. He couldn't believe she had actually dated someone like that. She had a dynamic with Ron where she had a weak sort of confidence, and Draco wasn't used to seeing that side of her, he didn't like it. He slowly and quietly and without being noticed, walked back to the kitchen to sit down.

"I think you should go," Ron said to her in an irritated tone after a few moments.

Hermione turned away from him and marched out of the room, not bothering to argue. When she got to the kitchen everyone looked up and was shocked by the tear stained look on her face. Draco, who appeared just a moment before, didn't appear shocked because he had heard the conversation and could tell she had been crying. He gazed up at Hermione with a sad look on his face.

"I apologize for the short visit, but Draco and I have to return. I'll send you an owl when I'm back at school." She said as she turned to leave without a more formal goodbye and walked out without waiting for Draco. The group's eyes moved to Draco next.

Draco tried to be polite as he stood up to leave. "If you have anymore questions Molly please just write, I'd be happy to help," he said referring to her potions as he exited the room. The group sat bewildered as Draco left just as abruptly as Hermione had. Ron didn't come back to join the group but went up to his room to be alone.

Once outside Draco caught up to Hermione and found that she was still crying. He walked with her to the mail box and apparated with her, taking her back to the manor. Once in the garden he took her in his arms and kissed her forehead. "You don't have anything to feel bad about, you know that, don't you?" he reassured her.

She gave him a puzzled look.

"I…might have heard some of the conversation…" he admitted as Hermione gave him a horrified look.

"I'm so sorry Draco, I can't imagine how that must have made you feel," she said as more tears ran down her cheeks.

"Can I ask you something?" He said as he lifted up on her chin to look into her eyes that were swimming with tears. She nodded her head. "Did he always treat you like that? Making you second guess yourself, questioning your choices?" He couldn't believe anyone would be able to make Hermione feel that way.

She didn't answer but nodded her head.

"Hermione, you're the most intelligent person I know. I try not to tell you what to do, but this is an exception. As my wife, please don't ever give your consent to let anyone make you feel inferior. You're the best person I know and I won't stand for it." He whispered in her ear as he said it.

When he said the word 'wife' he touched her heart in a way that made her feel so much joy that the pain Ron caused almost dissipated. This was the difference about being with Draco, he showed her that she had real value.

Her tears slowed and Draco brought his hand up to wipe away the ones that remained as she leaned in to kiss him. He kissed her back passionately and she stopped to pull him over to a nearby bench. The bench had flowers and bushes surrounding it and was a beautiful place to spend an afternoon. She motioned for him to sit down as she sat down, facing him, he ran his fingers through her hair. He ran his fingers down the back of her neck to her lower back and rested his hand on the lowest part of her back and leaned in to kiss her.

As the afternoon went on the breeze began to make Hermione cold. She ignored it until she couldn't anymore and could feel goosebumps on her skin. She stopped kissing Draco and rubbed her hands on her arms to warm herself up.

"Hermione, you're freezing," he said as he took over rubbing her arms for her. Even though she had an afternoon literally pushed up against him, she still loved the feeling of being close to him.

"Maybe we better go inside," she said as she stood up. He stood next to her and put his arm around her as they walked into the house.

When they walked in they didn't immediately see Lucious or Narcissa and they both went into Draco's room to continue where they left off in the garden and didn't come out until around dinner time. When they came down they saw his parents at the table.

"You've finally decided to join us," Lucious said as they both took a seat at the table.

"We didn't expect you both until later tomorrow, but we're glad to have you back," Narcissa added.

Hermione didn't want to explain what happened. "This place really grew on me, I missed it after just a few days." She said as she stood behind Draco as he sat down and lightly rubbed his shoulders. There was a sense of comfort that being at the house gave her now that it hadn't before.

"You should have your final dose of potion tonight. You seem recovered father," Draco clasped Hermione's hand while he was talking and she sat down beside him.

"Much better, it was good timing that the doses would run out just as you were to head back to school tomorrow."

Hermione had temporarily forgotten about heading back tomorrow and realized she needed to pack the clothes she had brought home from her parent's house. She didn't have much to add to conversation but decided stay and finish dinner before heading back upstairs.

Draco decided to head in early as well and followed Hermione upstairs and packed his bag while she packed hers. He was happy to be going back to Hogwarts. He touched Hermione's shoulder and she smiled at him. "I'm glad you were able to spend some time here and that you got to know my family," he said as he touched her hand and held it up to his lips to kiss it.

Draco never imagined that when they got together that it would be possible for his girlfriend and his parents to be under the same roof. Over the last few years he had grown to hate his childhood home and only came by to satisfy a sense of duty that he felt he owed his parents. Having Hermione around the house made it seem very different to him and he had enjoyed being there for the first time in years.

"I didn't expect to stay so long, but I kind of like it here. I feel a little caught off guard to be honest," she said as he dropped her hand.

"What did you think about my parent's offer? To stay during the summer?" He didn't want to seem like he was pushing her into the idea. "We don't have to, it's just an idea," he added.

"I've been thinking about it," she said as she looked around the room and imagined it belonging to both Draco and her. He dropped the subject and continued packing. "What do you think Draco? Is that what you want?"

"I just want to be together, if that means we get our own place then I'm alright with that. There's no pressure." He reassured her as he threw a few shirts into his bag.

When she was done she laid on the bed, thinking about their options and staring at the green hangings on his bed, thinking about it as their bed, and drifted off to sleep. Draco heard her breathing softly and laid beside her, covering her up.

"Nox," he said as he picked up his wand to turn out the light and set it back down again.


	36. Chapter 36

Ch. 36

The next day Draco gingerly got out of bed and got dressed, excited that he would be returning to the castle in just a few short hours. He and Hermione hadn't taken many possessions home when the term had ended, other than clothes, so they didn't have to ride the train back. The plan was to apparate to Hogsmead and then walk to the school. The actual start of term was in a few weeks, but the headmistress asked teachers to come a few weeks ahead of the students so the castle could be prepared for new arrivals.

Later that day when the two of them aparared and arrived in Hogsmead they walked around the village. At the joke shop they looked at the products students in their houses were likely to purchase and envisioned strategies to combat likely troublemakers. They walked past the shrieking shack on their way to the school and Hermione stopped to look at it.

"We're not living there…" he said as he raised his eyebrows at her, joking.

"But it has a guard tree and everything!" she joked.

"The school really should demolish that place, it's decrepit and falling apart."

"I've always liked it," she said as she smiled at Draco. "It's pretty spacious on the inside."

"You've been inside that thing?" he almost didn't believe her.

"Yeah," she said as she thought back to the time she had been inside in her third year. She realized that her, Harry, and Ron were the only ones still living from the group that had been inside. She turned to look back at the house again with a sad look on her face. Serius, Remus, Snape, and even Wormtail were gone.

"What is it? Was it a hide out for the Order of something?" Draco asked because of the concern on her face.

"No, Wormtail knew how to get in, it wasn't protected," she sighed. "In my third year there were six people in there with me, and now only three of the seven are still alive," her voice sounded far away. Draco put his arm around her and didn't say anything and just looked at the shack with her in silence. Hermione laid her head on his shoulder and looked up at him and he bent down to kiss her on the forehead.

She moved and pulled him along down the lane towards the school. Once inside they went straight to the headmistress's office to let her know they had arrived. She looked pleased to see them.

"I remember this time last year when you both arrived under different circumstances…" she smiled at them as she began. "I will have a list ready for you tomorrow, and when all the professors arrive I'll have a meeting with all the heads of houses about the happenings this term. Also, it wouldn't hurt to do a once over in the common rooms." She took a sip of tea as she tried to remember anything else to tell them. "Professor Malfoy, I've asked for your belongings to be moved into Professor Granger's quarters as we discussed a few weeks ago. I daresay you both will have some unpacking to do, though not too much I hope."

"Thank you, Professor," Draco said as he nodded.

"Is this some kind of practical joke," a drawing voice could be heard to say from the background. Draco's spine shot upright as he heard the voice of his godfather.

Hermione turned around first and saw the picture of Professor Snape on the wall of the other Hogwarts Headmasters. She bit her tongue so that she didn't make an unfriendly retort. She turned to look at Draco and then back to Professor McGonigal.

"If I'm not mistaken Severus, Ms. Granger appears to be wearing a ring, and a very pretty one I might add." Professor Dumbledore said as Hermione blushed.

Professor McGonigal looked at Draco to give him a chance to 'break the news' to his godfather. "Perhaps Professor Granger and I could leave you to speak to Severus alone?"

The headmistress and Hermione started to get up when Draco answered. "There's no need to leave, please don't trouble yourself," he said as he walked over to the portrait. "I'm sorry I haven't had a chance to tell you, I've only just gotten back to the castle today. I'm getting…married…to Hermione." He was sure Professor Snape wasn't going to take the news well. The only person he seemed to dislike as much as Potter was Hermione.

"Granger? You can't be serious, Draco," Snape said as he actually started laughing and then stopped when he saw the look on Draco's face. "You're marrying that insufferable know it all?" he clarified as he nodded his head in Hermione's direction.

"Severus, you're being rather rude," Professor McGonigal said in an irritated tone as the other headmasters gave disapproving guffaws towards Professor Snape for his behavior.

"I didn't expect you to approve," Draco said in a matter of fact way. "Hermione's approval was all I was interested in, and as you can see, I have it. And she may be an insufferable know it all, but I'm the only one allowed to call her that."

"At least you seem to understand what you're getting into," Professor Snape offered. "I remember being in love, and how it seemed to defy all logic..." he said as he seemed lost in thought.

Hermione had turned around to look at Draco, she was smiling at him for sticking up to Snape on her behalf.

"Oh, to be young and in love!" Dumbledore chimed in.

"I'm sure your parents aren't as taken as you are…" Professor Snape pushed.

"Actually, they are quite taken. Yesterday they asked Hermione to move in…" Draco shrugged as he went back to his seat in front of the headmistress's desk.

Professor Snape looked taken aback with shock at what he heard and had no further comments as Draco walked away.

"That certainly is surprising," Dumbledore added in a friendly voice and was subdued for further conversation.

Professor McGonigal raised her eyebrows at Hermione, wondering if what Draco said was true. She couldn't imagine how that dynamic could even work since they were on different sides of the war, then again, she reminded herself it wasn't her duty to know Hermione's personal business, but wouldn't mind discussing the subject over a cup of tea should Hermione choose to bring it up.

"Dinner will be served tonight in the Great Hall as the other teachers should be arriving soon. Please let me know if you require anything, and I'll have your list ready at breakfast." She stood up to indicate the end of the conversation and the both of them stood up as well and walked down to the teacher's quarters.

Once they opened their door, they saw Draco's belongings set haphazardly throughout the apartment, giving it a very cluttered and lived in look that conflicted with the normally clean appearance of the place.

"It's so nice to be back! I feel like I'm back home." Hermione said as she went into the kitchen to start a pot of tea. Draco sat his bag down on the floor and started arranging some of his pictures that were laid against the wall. Hermione didn't have anything hung up last term and it always made him feel like she wasn't really living there. He felt like the pictures would really compliment the front room area and started picking walls to put them up on. He pulled out his wand and tried a few arrangements of the pictures so he could show Hermione when she came back in the room.

She brought the tea and set it down on the table and he started showing her different ways some of the pictures could be hung up. "Well, what do you think?" he asked.

"You're a better decorator than I am, every arrangement has looked good to me. Just put them up how you want to," she said as she plopped down on the couch. Even though the both of them didn't have tons of things at school, they still had enough to sort out due to Draco's things being moved over. He moved things around a little more before putting sticking charms on the pictures so they could hang. Some of his other things were easy to find a place for since Hermione didn't have very much clutter.

After watching him put things away for a bit, Hermione decided to go visit the library so she could do some reading before the term started. "I'll be back soon, I need to grab some things from the library," She said as she leaned in to kiss him and left.

Hermione passed Madame Pince in the library who glared as she walked by. The old librarian was grumpy about anyone touching what she considered to be her books. Hermione came back with a big stack of 15 books and set them on the counter for her to check out.

"You and the Malfoy boy, I wasn't surprised," she said as she grabbed a book and wrote on the card.

Hermione never remembered her making conversation in the several years she had been checking out books. "Yeah?" she asked.

"I always noticed you turning your books back at the same time, thought it was suspicious…" she eyed Hermione up and down.

Hermione gave her an odd look and decided to ignore her.

Her decision didn't seem to bother Madame Pince who continued on. "I might be quiet so some don't notice me, but I see everything that happens at this school. Nothing gets past me." She smiled slightly as she slid Hermione's stack of books over to her.

"Have a nice day," Hermione offered as she grabbed her books and headed back to her place. She wondered if Draco had gotten very far putting his things away. When she walked in she didn't notice his things piled up like they had been, but rather well scattered throughout the room. One thing that was noticeably different was the color of the wall paper that had changed from Red to an Evergreen color. She was surprised to see the color completely covering the walls in the front room.

Draco heard her come in and walked back to her from their bedroom to the front room, seeing if Hermione liked it. "What do you think?!" He asked in a happy tone.

"What happened to the walls?" she asked, shocked. She had only been gone for about a half hour.

"It looks better this way…"

"It's so…dark. I thought you liked the red?" she raised her eyebrows as she looked around the room.

He pulled out his wand and changed the color back, looking a little dejected.

"Draco, you don't have to…we can talk about it." She began.

"It's fine, I just wanted it to feel like my place too. My stuff is here, but it still doesn't feel like my place."

His tone made her sad. "The green doesn't match the couches either…but what about the bedroom?"

"What about it? I didn't change anything in there…" he said in a grumpy tone.

"How about you change it however you want?" She offered. "This is our place now Draco," she said as she grabbed his arm and leaned in with her head looking up so he would kiss her.

He didn't. "Seriously? You're not going to hate it when it's done, like with the front room?" he gave her a skeptical look.

"No, I didn't hate it," she tried to defend herself.

"You're a terrible liar," he said as he went into the room and closed the door behind himself.

After another half hour he came out. Hermione decided that no matter how it looked she would act happy because she didn't want it to just feel like her place anymore. She stood up from the couch and came into the bedroom.

He did change the walls to green, but it was brighter than the green he used before and he made the bed a little wider, moved it to the other side of the room. There was a desk in the corner and he had moved the bookshelf next to it. He hung up pictures of them from their engagement party that she didn't even know he had.

"Draco, how did you get these?" She asked, pointing to the pictures.

"I got them from your friends, some took pictures at the party and sent them to us." He said as he smiled at her reaction.

"I don't remember anyone sending an owl…" she tried to think back.

"You weren't feeling well, it was a long week for you," he sighed, "for the both of us."

"You took such good care of me," she remembered as he came closer and put his arm around her. She laid her head onto his chest. "I love it," she added.

He leaned down to kiss her tenderly. He brought his hand up to lift her chin and started kissing her more passionately. She grabbed his hand and led him over to the bed and tried to push him to lay down so she could lay on top of him. Draco wasn't going down on the bed, and made a laughing sound as he scooped Hermione up and dropped her down on the bed and tickled her.

The next day Hermione spent the morning writing letters to Harry and Ginny as well as her parents to let them know they had arrived. Hermione talked about how Draco had been changing their place and how it had a different but good feel to it. While she was writing Draco woke up.

"Morning," she said as she sat at her desk writing.

"Mmm." Draco replied. She could sense he was tired and he was using that for his greeting instead. She continued writing and after a few moments he talked to her again.

"I'm going to be taking a shower," he announced.

Hermione wasn't sure why he was announcing this. "The towels are in the bathroom," she said, thinking this was what he might be hinting at.

"You're going to have to get used to seeing me in a towel," he said as he smiled at her.

She counted on it, and wrote until he got done so she could see him come out with the towel wrapped around himself. After he was done steam followed him from the bathroom to their attached bedroom and the towel covered him from his waist to his knees, but it was wrapped tightly around him. One thing she noticed too was that he didn't have his dark mark covered. It made sense he wouldn't shower with the sleeve on, but she still wasn't used to seeing it. He caught her eye and looked down to see what she was looking at and went back in the bathroom for the sleeve and didn't come out until it was tightly in place.

"Sorry about that," he said as he came back into the room.

"No need to apologize. I'm the one staring at you," she said in a flirty tone as he picked out his clothes from the dresser.

"Hmmm, I wonder if you're having a good time," he tried to flirt back.

"The best," she said as she got up and walked over to him, seeing his chest glisten because of the drops of water still on it. She lightly placed her fingers on his chest while she looked in his eyes. Then she leaned over to show she wanted him to kiss her.

He clenched his towel to make sure it wouldn't fall and gave her a sheepish look. "You're looking at me the same way you did last time you saw me in a towel. You were attracted to me before, weren't you…" he knew the answer before he asked.

She started blushing and pushed away from him. "Don't be silly Draco."

"Oh, I see, you're dodging the question…"

She waited a moment before answering. "It's not my fault that you happen to be attractive."

"The truth comes out!" he said playfully as she reddened slightly more. "Hermione? Are you blushing?"

She sat back down at the desk to finish writing and gave Draco a smile, still red faced.

He walked closer to her and she locked eyes with him as he walked closer and she felt her heart pounding in her chest. She thought he was coming to get closer to her and she had a surprised expression on her face. Draco moved right next to her and grabbed his clothes from the dresser, winked at her, and then went into the bathroom to change.

They hadn't seen one another's bodies, and they were careful not to get too far physically than what either of them were ready for. He didn't think he could handle the temptation of Hermione looking at him like that for another minute or he would lose the little resolve he had left.

When he came out of the bathroom he saw Hermione had gotten up. He found her sealing the envelopes in the front room.

"Do you think we would be late for breakfast if we stopped at the owlery first?" She asked.

"No, not at all," he held the door open for her and walked out behind her. It was nice that he wasn't just leaving Hermione's place with her, but that they were leaving their place together.

Over the next few weeks they worked together to prepare the school for the students arrival. This year had been better than last year and they seemed to get through the list much faster than last year because of their ability to work together.

Draco commented about the quickness one evening during dinner. "That has to be a record for us," he said as he smiled at her.

"You're much easier to work with than last year," she remarked.

Draco dropped his fork, "Me? What about you?"

"Well, I suppose I've changed a little as well. It took a while for me to get used to your humor, and even longer to…" she hesitated, not wanting to think about how she felt about him last year.

"To?" he encouraged.

She shook her head, "nothing…"

"No, go ahead," he egged her on.

She coughed slightly and spoke quickly, "to respect you," she added uncomfortably.

"That doesn't shock me. It's not like I respected you either." He added matter of factly.

Hermione suddenly wasn't feeling as bad as she had by admitting this to him. "Thanks for that," she said as she smiled sarcastically at him.

"You started it," he pointed out as he prepared to change the subject.

Professor McGonigal stood up from the table and began to make an announcement. "After dinner I would like to meet with the heads of the houses to discuss final items before the term starts. Please meet me in my office." She left the Great Hall and after a few minutes the teachers started filing out, finishing their evening meal.

"Flitwick just left and Neville is nearly finished, I supposed we better head out," Hermione remarked as she watched the other teachers at the table.

"I think we could wait for Longbottom too," he added, giving her a quizzical look. She smiled back at him.

Neville came up to them just a moment later. "Hey, I thought I had missed you guys!" he remarked as he got closer.

"Please, lead the way," Draco commented as he extended his hand.

Hermione, Draco, and Neville walked together and made light conversation on the way to McGonigal's office.

"Fizzing Whizbee" Hermione called out, causing the stone gargoyle to jump aside.

They knocked at her door and after she called for them to enter they walked in and joined professor Flitwick who was already sitting down in a chair across from her desk. She transfigured a few more comfortable chairs and invited them to sit down.

"Thank you for coming, I wanted to talk about the start of term," she began. "As you know we've had a few years of peace since the battle of Hogwarts, but we need to remain on guard, and not be too relaxed. We never know when another blow may strike, and as we are protectors of this school and its students, we must always be ready to respond."

"Are you worried about an attack headmistress?" Neville asked. The other teachers gave her a look of concern that echoed Neville's question.

"No," she answered. "But there may still be people who wish to do us harm. In light of recent events we must keep a more prudent eye."

"Recent events?" Hermione wondered if she had missed anything, she read the paper nearly everyday, and there was nothing new that she could think of. Unless… "Draco and I?" she asked as Draco looked at her and raised his eyebrows.

The thought had crossed his mind. There might still be others who agreed with the ideology of the Dark Lord that wouldn't be too happy about him marrying someone from the Order of the Pheonix, let alone Hermione Granger. He brought his hand up to rub between her shoulder blades a few times and rested his hand on the back of her chair. He was normally careful of any public display of affection while they were at school, but when he thought of his soon to be wife's protection, he moved his body instinctively closer.

"That's correct Professor," McGonigal stood up from her desk and started pacing around the office. "If I have reason to believe that there is any danger to the students I will alert the staff immediately and I expect the staff to go into a full lock down procedure. I will discuss this with the other staff members, and I would like you to prepare the prefects when they arrive."

"Surely we won't tell the students that their teachers are the reason for all this concern?" Flitwick questioned.

"No, just that we are practicing security drills as we can never be too careful," she replied. "You're dismissed unless there are further questions," she said as she sat back down in her chair and faced the heads of houses.

As Neville and Flitwick got up to leave, Hermione watched for them to exit. "Headmistress, please forgive what I'm about to ask you, but are you really worried about my safety? I know you remember when I was a student here; I'm more than capable if things were to come to a fight. No one would dare attack us here."

McGonigal looked at her sharply. "It's not you I'm worried about at all Ms. Granger," she answered as she looked at Draco. "Mr. Malfoy has made a lot of enemies since the war, and I'm afraid, in declaring his intention to marry you, he could be the target of either side. I will not tolerate someone causing danger to one of my teachers," she clarified.

"Hogwarts would be the perfect place for an attack Hermione, who would be expecting it?" Draco replied while looking at Professor McGonigal.

The headmistress nodded and Hermione stood up. Draco stood up after he did and gave a curt nod to the professor before heading to the door.


	37. Chapter 37

Ch. 37

Another week had passed and the evening of the sorting arrived. Hermione met the students on the steps and led them into the hall. 7th years all the way down to 2nd years greeted her as she waited for the first years to be brought across the moat and delivered into the Great Hall by Hagrid.

When he stumbled in the first years were all wet and shaking from the cold, she could hear the sound of their chattering teeth echo off the walls. She cast a spell to dry their robes and the sound of the chatter died away and she got started. "Professor Hagrid," she greeted.

"Evenin' Professor," he returned to Hermione. He bent lower to whisper, "I remember when you had firs' come to school, an' now look at yah, you're gettin married," he wiped a tear from his eye, patted her on the shoulder and moved into the Great Hall.

She enjoyed being with the first years and seeing the excited and nervous expressions on their young faces as she described the sorting ceremony to the students. She was to lead them into the hall where the students would wait until Professor Sprout called the students names for them to be sorted.

Hermione wasn't as noticeably excited about the sorting as she had been last year, but she was on the inside. She tried hard to control her reactions this year because she agreed with Draco's philosophy that there was something to this in the way her students viewed and treated her.

Draco saw her clench her fists in excitement every time a student got into Gryffindor and exhale every time a student was placed into Slytherin. "She's obviously not impartial," he thought as he chuckled to himself. He enjoyed watching her reactions and wondered what her reaction would be like when they had children and if one of them were sorted into Slytherin…

At that moment she looked up at him and smiled and he smiled back quickly and looked away, resisting the urge to kiss her while he glared down his house table looking for trouble makers. Hermione thought it was cute that he was shifting his attention. His gazing at her throughout the sorting did not escape many people's notice.

When the sorting was over and the students were led back to their houses, both Hermione and Draco had to go to their house common rooms to give speeches to the students to set the course of the year.

Draco led his first year students to the common room and once there he met the rest of the years huddled into the room. Last year he had walked in to students applauding him, but he was met with some glaring eyes, crossed arms, and indifferent looks instead.

"That's not a proper greeting for our first years," he said reproachfully as he ushered the remaining students into the room.

The room was still quiet and seemed to be full of tension.

"Well, what is it?" He asked aloud.

One student spoke up, a fifth year, Spencer Octavius. He gave Draco a disgusted look. "Is it true what the Prophet says?" He didn't bother to hide the disdain in his voice.

"What does the Prophet say?" He questioned while raising his eyebrows.

"That you're getting married to _Granger_ ," he said her name in a rude way, "the mudblood professor."

The insult hung on the air. It was a mark of culture in the Slytherin common room that no one gasped, no one looked upset, only a few looked slightly uncomfortable. In fact, there were a few supportive murmurs going around the room.

"Is this why you're all greeting our first year's in this poor manner?" He sounded unaffected by the comment that was made and his lack of apparent anger was making the students confused, perhaps the stories were false.

He heard the crowd again murmur and he heard a resounding "yes" to his question.

"First of all, you will address every professor respectfully by title and last name. Second, you've earned a month's detention for your use of that slur," he continued to answer calmly.

There was discord at this part and some students came to Octavius's defense.

Draco's voice changed when he began again. "And third, any personal details about my life are just that, personal. I owe you no explanation regarding any relationship I may have. But, as Professor Granger is about to be my wife, I suggest you use more tact when discussing her in the future."

This time there was a shock that went through the room at his confirming the stories many of them had been reading during the summer. There were also disapproving comments. Things had not gotten off the way he hoped they would, but he felt that he needed to send a further message to his students who were missing the point of respect he was trying to teach them.

"Have I made myself understood?" He asked a little less calmly, showing his irritation for the first time.

"Fifty points will be taken from Slytherin for this intense disrespect," he said to more shock from students. They wanted to, but they didn't dare question him. He could see the point was starting to sink in. "You will report to my office for your detention tomorrow," Draco said to the student who started the conversation.

"yes Professor," Octavius had the good sense to answer quickly.

Draco turned back to the first years as if nothing had happened. They at least would understand the tone of respect that he expected from the very beginning of their tenure. He showed them around the common room and directed them to their quarters.

When he walked back through the common room on his way out he heard other students rounding on Octavius. "Way to go Octavius, bet no house has started with negative 50 points before!" "Why couldn't you keep your mouth shut?" as well as several other not so hushed whispers.

Draco appeared to pay them no attention as he exited the portrait hole, still irritated. He wanted to win the house cup this year so he could boast to Hermione, but he also needed his students to know how seriously offensive their language was. It may be normal for several of them to talk that way at home with their families, just as it had been normal for Draco growing up, but he needed them to understand the difference between what was acceptable at home and what would never be acceptable in public.

It hadn't taken long for students to notice that Slytherin already had points missing. By the time Hermione had made it back to the Gryffindor common room there were already a few Gryffindor's delivering the news. If she hadn't dawdled to show off some parts of the castle on her way to the common room she probably wouldn't have had the chance to hear about it.

The common room was exploding with cheers by the time she entered and she beamed at them for their warm welcome.

"You are a cheery bunch this year!" she began as the noise died down and they listened to what she had to say. Over the course of the year last year the students began to show her more respect and had finally given her the attention she deserved, or so she thought. They were mostly excited about the change in Slytherin's points.

"Last year you learned a lot in your lessons and I daresay I learned a lot about you as well. We are back for another great year, but I have a call for you Gryffindors. This year we have to win the house cup! So study hard to get extra points in lessons, help one another out, and be daring. I know with all of your efforts and a good quittich team, we can win the house cup for Gryffindor this year!"

Her speech was met with cheers from her students. After the noise died down a little, one student shouted through the crowd.

"Doesn't hurt that Slytherin house has already lost fifty points!" he said rejoicing while the others celebrated this fact too and the noise level went right back up.

She held up her hands for the room to quiet. "I'm sorry, what was that?"

"Slytherin is down 50 points!" the student repeated enthusiastically.

"But term just started…" she said, thinking out loud.

She heard other students chime in "It's going to be a great year the way they're headed," and more students laughed. Hermione continued on with her speech.

"Mr. Conrad and Ms. Hootch," she said as she pointed to two students, the head boy and girl, in the crowd. "Can you please show the first years to their dormitories and explain the rules of the common room?"

"Yes professor," they echoed as they moved toward the group of first years. Hermione wished the students a good night and headed out of the portrait hole and walked swiftly to the main hallway just outside the great hall to see the hourglasses for each house. Slytherin had in fact lost 50 points, the only one who could take away such a high number was the headmistress or the head of house.

She suddenly realized how tired she felt, but remembered that she promised to patrol the halls the first night that students were back. Draco said he would come with her since he wouldn't be able to sleep without her in bed anyways. She went inside the great hall and reminisced about when she had first arrived at Hogwarts and how she didn't dare believe her eyes when she saw the castle, or the Great Hall with its floating candles and self-refilling food. She walked slowly up the hall and approached the head table that she ate at a few times a day. Little did she know that she would be teaching here one day, that experience in itself was extremely magical for her.

She heard a sound by the doors and turned around. There wasn't anyone visible from the doorway so she walked back up and called out. "Hello?"

There was no answer so she pulled out her wand and proceeded to head out of the hall. Draco was standing there waiting for her.

"Oh, Draco," she said in relief as she put her wand away.

"Hi," he said as he smiled at her.

"I called out and I didn't hear anyone answer," she began.

"I must not have heard you," he said with a melancholy look on his face.

She could tell he seemed upset about something. "Are you ready?" she asked as she held out her hand.

He grabbed it and they walked through the castle to start their patrol.

"I meant to ask, did your speech go better than last year?" He began as they continued to walk.

"Yeah, it did! They were actually respectful, which has to be a miracle. They're really wanting to win the house cup this year," she slipped, accidentally bringing up the topic. It was the majority of the conversation she had with the students.

"I guess all my advice to you last term was helpful for gaining their respect," he pointed out.

"What?" She acted like this wasn't true. "No, I think it was because we've had a chance to build a relationship, they know what to expect from me now."

"Seriously?" Draco raised his eyebrows at her.

"I guess you do deserve some credit…" she tried to joke.

He removed his hand from hers and the next thing she knew his lips were planted firmly on hers. It was over quickly as soon as it started.

She felt dazed. "Draco," she breathed out, exasperated. He grabbed her hand again and started walking. Hermione lightly bit her lip wanting him to kiss her again. "What was that for?" she asked.

"I was tired of holding back," he said as they turned a corner and almost knocked into a student. They let go of one another's hands immediately and held their lit wands away from themselves to see who the student was.

"Mr. Bones," Hermione sighed. Now that she saw him, it donned on her that she hadn't seen him earlier in the common room. "What are you doing out of bed?"

"Hi Professors," he said as he appeared to buy time to think up some great lie.

"Don't bother trying to come up with an excuse Bones, turn out your pockets." Draco said with authority.

"Dra…Professor Malfoy, we can't just search him, let's see what he says first," Hermione interjected.

Draco looked at Hermione and then back to Mr. Bones, skeptically.

"I was just…taking a tour of the castle, I missed being back here." He said in a way that showed he was obviously lying.

"And you couldn't have enjoyed the castle from your common room? Draco pressed.

"Nope," Bones shrugged.

"Maybe some veritserum will help you be more honest," Draco said in a dangerous tone. Hermione could tell that he was getting worked up quickly, probably a result of being upset earlier.

"Thank you, Professor," she said curtly as she turned to Draco. "Mr. Bones, I will see you to the common room." She said as her student looked slightly dejected.

Draco was irritated and turned to walk the other direction without giving Hermione so much as a second look.

On their way she lectured her student. "It is a serious violation to be out of bed after hours, how did you get past the charm protecting the portrait hole," she asked matter of factly.

He didn't answer her question and just continued to walk, ignoring her.

"Ten points from Gryffindor! Well Mr. Bones?" he was getting on her last nerve.

"Okay, okay, don't take away any more points," he started. "I actually want to win the house cup, even if you are cajoling with the enemy," He said in a bitter tone.

Hermione had been expecting this since McGonigal brought it up at the start of the term. She feigned surprise at him. "Oh, I thought of all people you would approve, he is pureblood, I know you care about that sort of thing…" she said sarcastically.

The sarcasm was lost on him. "He does have that going for him, but he's still Slytherin," he added.

Hermione rolled her eyes. Of any of her students, he seemed like the one who should have been sorted into Slytherin house instead of Gryffindor. He didn't get along with most of the students in the house because he was always getting into trouble and losing points.

"We're all on the same team here at school, there is no enemy. Also, you didn't answer my question about the portrait hole."

"I used a freezing charm," he admitted, knowing she would fix it and he wouldn't be able to leave unnoticed like he had last term.

When she reached the portrait hole she pulled out her wand to see the last spell used and it was a freezing charm, he had been telling the truth. "That will be all Mr. Bones," she said as she turned around to leave. She walked back to try to find Draco and caught him when he was just outside the Ravenclaw common room.

"Professor," he addressed her in a distant voice.

"Professor," she returned in a respectful tone as they walked. After he didn't speak she broke the ice. "I am his head of house Draco. I would leave your own students to you."

"Bones was a problem last year and he's already up to something and the first night hasn't even passed yet. He needs some discipline Hermione."

"I agree. However, the decision on how to handle that is up to me. Why are you jumping in to handle something that's my responsibility?" She was showing her irritation through her tone.

"I…" he tried to think about his actions in confronting the student and didn't share Hermione's perspective. "That's not what I was trying to do."

She was quiet and waited for him to continue.

He sighed and ran his fingers through his hair. He didn't want to tell Hermione about earlier in his common room, but he knew he would have to. The longer he held his feelings in the harder it would be. "Earlier tonight didn't go so well in the Slytherin common room. I had students challenging me about…the engagement…" he looked up at her face and she didn't seem shocked so he continued. "Well, there were some things said regarding your blood status, I'm sure you can guess what those things were," he quickly looked at her and looked away.

She slightly lifted her arm and pointed to her scar, a scar that was barely detectable now to motion that she understood perfectly.

Draco winced, remembering how she got her scar. "So in the end, I realized I needed to make them learn that their actions were not to be repeated. Hopefully that was an effective lesson. After dealing with that tonight, I didn't have the patience for Bones. You're right about not jumping in." he offered.

"It's alright."

"No, it wasn't. But next time, because with him there will be a next time, I'll direct him to you."

"I'm sure it pained you to take points away from your own house," she tried to steer the subject. "I know how serious you are about our bet on the house cup." She gave him a sad look, knowing what it had cost him.

The patrol time had ended and they were nearly back at the teacher's quarters. Draco opened the portrait hole and motioned for Hermione to enter.

"It wasn't really that hard Hermione," he said as he opened their apartment door and closed it after coming inside. "You're going to be my wife, nothing is more important than that, and especially not the house cup."

His features tensed up again. She pushed him up against the door and her hair fell against his chest. She pressed her body against his and he started breathing out heavily, surprised.

He leaned up and kissed her forehead, "we need to set a date for the wedding." He played with her hair by twisting it around his fingers.

"Yes, we do need to get that sorted out," she replied heavily.

"Can I ask you a question…" Draco's melancholy tone had returned.

Hermione noticed his tone and felt concerned. Maybe he was still upset…

"I was just wondering, do you want to get married?" he had a sad look on his face when he asked.

"Of course I do, I love you Draco."

"I know you love me, but if you aren't ready to get married we don't have to. I don't want to push you into this." He was avoiding eye contact with her while he continued to play with her hair.

"I never felt pushed into anything. Where is this coming from? Did you change your mind?" she asked, hurt.

"No," he said as he looked up at her. "I was serious in my proposal, and still am." His face was serious and left her without any doubt.

"And I was serious in accepting and still am," she said as she gave him a searching look.

"It's just that every time we talk about setting a date, it seems like you change the subject."

"I don't do that, do I?" she asked.

"Yes, every time," he countered.

"I didn't know I was doing that. I just can't think of the perfect date, and I don't know the first thing about planning weddings. And does it need to be during a break so we're away from school or should we take time off. Will I take your last name and create some confusion with two professor Malfoy's here? Is the wizard wedding the same as a muggle wedding? I'd like a minister, but do you have those in the wizarding world? I have a lot to figure out Draco and I don't know where to start." She sounded overwhelmed.

He just stared at her.

"What?" she said, now worried that he would think she was crazy and over analyzing things.

"I love you Hermione," he said as he leaned down to kiss her.

"I love you too Draco," she felt his arms around her tighten.

"Do you want me to set a date then to put things in motion?" he asked.

"Yes, but give me some time because I have to learn some things about this first…"

"Okay, how about New Year's? I think it's perfect, me and you, the start of a new chapter, ringing in the new year with those who care about us…" He seemed really set on the date and Hermione liked the reasons.

"And that gives us enough of a break to take a little honeymoon too." Hermione pointed out. "I love it."

"Okay, it's settled, New Year's," he had the biggest smile on his face.


	38. Chapter 38

Ch. 38

In the morning they both got up and Draco waited in the living room while Hermione got dressed and ready for the day. When she was done they walked to breakfast together.

Hermione noticed that Draco still had a big smile on his face as they walked to the great hall. "You don't want to go into the great hall with that smile, students won't take you seriously anymore Draco!" she teased.

He laughed. "I can't help it. I guess I'll just learn to live with being happy and disrespected."

Hermione leaned closer to him. "I'm happy too," she said as her face started to redden.

"Don't, please don't look at me like that. You're making me want to kiss you, and I can't with all these students around," he said as they entered the hall and he walked up to the front to take his seat.

She blushed even more and took her seat next to Draco. Nearly the whole of Slytherin house were taking turns to look at them and look away. They seemed to be the only house that gave them any sort of attention. Hermione noticed the glares that were mostly directed at Draco and pretended not to notice. She felt bad that he had a rough crowd the night before.

An owl swooped down and dropped an envelope that was addressed to Hermione. The envelope was very pretty in gold colored paper with black writing that spelled out her name on the front. She had never gotten a letter like that before. She slowly opened it and pulled out an invitation card which she read over and passed to Draco.

He read the invitation to her quietly:

You are formally invited to a ceremony in your honor October the first. The Wizarding World wishes to thank you for your service, along with the services of Harry Potter and Ronald Weasley. You are allowed to bring a guest. Please respond post haste. Your Minister-Kingsley Shacklebolt

Draco looked up at Hermione and raised his eyebrows. "So?"

"What?" she asked.

"Do I have to beg to be your plus one, or are you going to ask me?" he said sarcastically with his smile returning.

"Draco," Hermione said in a sad tone. "I'm not going…"

"What? Why wouldn't you go? This is such a wonderful opportunity!"

"I'm probably going to be working," she began.

"I'm sure the headmistress will let you off for a party in your honor…"

"and I don't want to see some of the people invited."

"But you don't even know if Weasley's going," he replied.

Hermione nearly snorted. "He'll be there, he wouldn't miss it for the world," she added in a sarcastic tone.

"Why should that stop you? You were just as much a part of the effort as he was." He tried to understand.

"Can we just move on?" she asked.

"No," he said kindly.

She sighed and looked at her food and took a few more bites before getting up to leave. She didn't say anything to Draco but just left.

He got up and followed her as she left the great hall and called her name once they were outside the hall. "Hermione, hey!"

She turned around, not angry, but with a sad look on her face. He waited for her to speak first.

"I just don't want to see him after the last time. We had a big fight and…" the things that Ron said hurt her pretty deeply. She didn't want to say it aloud.

"I heard the fight so I know it was ugly, but I also know he wasn't fighting fair and hasn't for quite some time. You have nothing to be ashamed about." He reassured her.

She half smiled to try to get him to drop the subject.

He leaned close to her and whispered in her ear. "I need you to do something for me," he began.

"What?" she asked.

"Don't say no yet," he said kindly as he lightly kissed her forehead. He turned away before she could answer.

When he got down to the dungeons he had a mix of fourth year Gryffindor, Hufflepuff, Ravenclaw and Slytherin students who were waiting for him. The students from his house still looked a little surly and some were crossing their arms. He ignored their looks and had a mischievous smile on his face.

He ran his class as he normally would, giving lecture while he walked around the class and pointed things out in jars and on slides in the dark classroom. After he was done with lecture, he made a point to go around and ask the students questions about what they had learned. Out of all the students replying he noticed that none of the Slytherin students were answering questions, a strategy they apparently thought would be worth using to try to retaliate against him for his connection to a muggle, or Gryffindor house, he wasn't 100% sure at this point what their issue with Hermione was. He continued to have a smile on his face and at the end of the class period he addressed his Slytherin students.

"I was really sorry to see that my students from Slytherin house didn't seem to know any answers today," he remarked, letting them know that they got his attention. Many of the students let out low snickers and looked at one another in excitement "Being your head of house, I have to admit that I expected more out of you, which is why I'm assigning 12 inches of parchment to you regarding todays lecture that can be handed in on Monday."

Half of the class groaned. "That will take all weekend!" one student grumbled out.

"Perhaps you were able to write down some of the answers from the other students? No? I'm sure you'll figure something out. 12 inches." He moved back to the front of the room while his class was dismissed.

The second period went pretty much the same way with the Slytherin students' behavior of not answering questions.

"Perhaps word hadn't gotten around Slytherin house yet," Draco mentioned at the end of the second class. He delivered the same assignment to this group of unsuspecting students. By third period he saw a dramatic improvement and realized the house must finally be sharing details of their strategy with their fellow housemates.

In the next class period Slytherin students were sure to raise their hands and Draco made a point to call on them just to test his theory. The glares were still present but their manners were a little more improved.


	39. Chapter 39

Ch. 39

Over the next week, although students in his house appeared to act better, he found a message on his classroom door one morning before class. The students were gathered around the door and he could barely get through, he never remembered them being this excited for a lesson. He saw 'Malfoy is a blood traitor' written on the door and many of the students who saw it just looked at the professor with shocked and dumb looks on their faces.

"Who did this?" he asked the crowd of students, a dangerous calm had settled in his demeanor. No one answered and some even looked around at other students collected in front of the door to see if the guilty party might step forward.

The message itself didn't bother him, he knew he would be considered a blood traitor the moment he left the Dark Lord's service. His blood status had never been brought up after the war by anyone but his father, and the previous years the students treated him like a hero most of the time. He knew that the change was due to their feelings about Hermione, and we wasn't going to tolerate the backlash.

He opened the door and walked past the students and began the lesson. He didn't address the comment but he remained in a surly mood the whole period. He joined Hermione in the great hall for dinner that evening still in a grumpy mood.

She knew things weren't great with him when she saw his face. Hermione had seen that he had been having a rough time with his students over the last week and tried not to push him to talk about it. With the mood he was in, she was having a really hard time not asking.

He pulled out his chair and sat down a little too hard. He looked up at her and smiled genuinely as he looked into her eyes, his countenance changing.

"How was your day?" he asked her as he looked down his house table.

"Good, I had some second years transfigure items on their first few tries, Marie was one of them." She added to make him smile.

"That's not surprising, they have a great teacher," he said warmly.

"Draco, that's so sweet," she said as she touched his hand. He got that look in his eyes that told her he wanted to kiss her. She realized where they were at and drew her hand back. "Sorry, why didn't you pull back?" He was normally the one who would be aware of their surroundings and any PDA.

"I didn't want to," he answered bluntly. After the week he had experienced and the fact that love for Hermione was the reason, he wanted to have her more than ever. He glared back over at his house table and saw a few student's eyes meet his.

"What are you scrutinizing your house table for? You seem really distracted…" she hoped he would decide to talk about what was going on. She had heard, of course, about the note written outside his door. Word traveled fast around the big castle. They would have to confront this together at some point.

"I am. Distracted I mean. Maybe we could talk about it later…" he suggested.

"Sure," she replied. They didn't talk again through dinner until Draco asked if she was ready to leave.

Over the next week Draco hadn't discussed what he was thinking about the issues with his students and Hermione hadn't discussed the invitation to the party with him. He behaved in a similar way at most meal times to the point where Hermione decided not to go one day after lessons.

She headed back to her teacher's quarters as everyone filed into the great hall. She put on some tea and got a good book and just snuggled on the couch. After about a half an hour Draco came through the door.

"Hermione?" he called out.

"Yeah, over here," she waved from the couch.

"You weren't at dinner," he pointed out.

She just nodded but didn't say anything.

"Is something wrong?" he wondered if he was supposed to be decoding some meaning from this, women could be puzzling sometimes.

Hermione took a deep breath. "Yeah, I think there is," she replied as she closed her book and sat up.

"Give me a second," he said as he headed into the bedroom. He took off his robes and came back into the front room and sat down next to Hermione on the couch. He noticed there was only one tea cup instead of two, and reached for Hermione's cup to take a drink. When he sat it down she refilled it.

"Draco, I can't keep going to breakfast and dinner and sitting next to you while you ignore me. I'm tired of watching you glare your students down. You're barely speaking to me these days."

"My students are in need of a watchful eye. I'm sure you've heard about the message on my door?" he asked.

"Yes, and I've also heard you haven't taken it down. That makes no sense Draco."

"If I take it down, how long do you think it will be until someone just puts it back up? Plus, I'm not ashamed to be branded a blood traitor because of my feelings for you. It can stay up my whole tenure for all I care." He added in an irritated tone.

"I'm sure it is because of me," she said in a disappointed tone. She knew that their relationship was costing him respect from his students. Even though she disagreed with his students reasons, she didn't want Draco's life to be any more complicated.

"It's not because of you." He said as he reached out his hand and brushed her cheek. "It's because I made a choice my students don't agree with. No one gets to bully us for the choices we make in our personal life. You can't tell me that you would stand for this type of behavior?" he questioned.

"No, no I wouldn't," she added quickly. "But I would handle it differently…"

"Oh, would you now," he said as a smirk appeared on his face.

"But it's not like you want my advice, so I'll mind my own business…" she added playfully.

He laughed at her. "It's not likely that you would mind your own business, I've known you quite a while Hermione, and that's actually the opposite of who you are, you know that right?"

"Are you asking for my advice then?" she clarified, smiling but ignoring his comment.

"Go on then…" he said as he repositioned on the couch and laid his head in her lap. She ran her fingers through his hair as she began to explain.

"You showing your anger only shows them how effective they are. Glaring at the house table will only divide you from your house and cause greater problems for you."

"This sounds like a list of things I'm doing wrong but not the actual advice…" he said with his eyebrows raised.

"Okay, talking as someone who started off on terrible footing last year, I had to work hard to have positive relationships with my students by getting to know each of them. The ones that made that impossible, I learned about them from other students and checked in with each one once in a while. Then, if there were issues we were able to head them off pretty easily because we had good relationships."

"Now that things have gotten out of hand I'm not sure I can turn it around with them…" he felt vulnerable admitting this and closed his eyes while she moved her fingers from his hair and rested her hand on his cheek.

"I know you can, it probably won't be easy." She said as she started moving her hand again. "It's like making a potion Draco, all the ingredients need to be added in the right order, and they take time and precision to make it just right."

He opened his eyes and gazed at her while she spoke.

"And when you make a potion and you're impatient or rushed, it just doesn't turn out."

He let out a sigh. "So, you're saying I've been short sighted?" His tone was un-accusing.

"Let me ask you a question…what have you even enjoyed in the last few weeks Draco?" Her voice was a whisper.

He realized that he had been letting his student's behavior steal his joy in other areas. He wasn't dealing with this well at all, and Hermione was right, something had to change.

"How is it I was able to give you all these good pointers last year, but this year you're the one with the good advice?" he asked as he smirked at her.

"I had a wonderful teacher," she smirked at him. "He was good looking too…"

He reached up and touched her face, traced his thumb along her bottom lip. "The last thing I really enjoyed was when we set a date for the wedding, that was a few weeks ago."

"Have you heard back from your parents about the date or arrangements?" She thought he would have heard something by now.

He sat up, "I never sent them anything, I thought you were going to write them?"

"I would have, but they're _your_ parents! I was waiting for them to accept the date before we sent out invitations."

Draco got up and went into the bedroom and came back out with a quill and some parchment. "I'm sorry Hermione, we'll send it off first thing tomorrow."

She nodded in agreement as he started the letter. After a few minutes he handed her the parchment, which was still wet, to see if there was anything else she wanted to add.

Dear Mother and Father,

Hermione and I have set a date and hope that you'll find it an agreeable day to host our wedding. We were hoping for a ceremony on New Year's evening. Please let us know if this will work, the wedding is only a few months away and we would like to send out invitations. Mother, Hermione needs some direction about weddings and wizard tradition when you have a moment.

Love your son,

Draco

"It's good, I don't think there's anything else I would add," she said as she handed the letter back to him. As she did, she heard his stomach growl. "Didn't you eat dinner?"

"No, I waited for you, and when I couldn't find you I left…"

Her face was a little crestfallen. "Alright," she said as she stood up. "Let's head off to the kitchens."

"There was something I needed to talk to you about, but we can talk on our way."

She gave him a surprised look. "Really?"

He held open the door and she walked out with him behind her.

"I want to talk about the Ceremony that Shacklebolt's organized." He cut right to the chase and could see her countenance change. "And I know I don't have to point out that you were the one who suggested talking tonight." He added with a haughty aire.

She continued to walk beside him and knew he was right. "You think I should go." It was a statement, not a question.

"Yes."

"Can I ask why?" she pushed.

"Can I ask you why you don't want to?" he countered.

"It just feels like bad timing with Ron and I fighting, he will make a scene if he's upset, and with the wedding coming up I don't want any bad publicity or issues."

"Then aren't you showing him that any attempt to bully you will be successful? You're giving into it before it starts, it's almost like a threat then, isn't it?

"No…I mean…he isn't threatening." She tried to consider her next words. "Me moving on has been hard for him."

"And why does that become your problem?" he asked point blank with his eyebrows raised.

"Because we're friends Draco!"

"No, Hermione, you only think you're friends," he said in an irritated tone as they reached the painting of the bowl of fruit.

She tickled the pair and paused their conversation as the portrait swung open. The house elves greeted them and gave them several dishes to take with them. They also gave Draco a peach pie and wouldn't take no for an answer, causing them to leave with way more food than they could ever possibly eat. On the way back Hermione picked up the conversation again.

"I suppose you mean that he wants to be more than friends and there's no hope in salvaging our friendship?" she clarified.

"He isn't interested in being anything less, didn't you glean that from your last…conversation?" he added for lack of a better word.

"It's like you only think he's like this because he's my ex, but he's always been this way, that's just who Ron is."

"He's possessive and domineering over his friends?" Draco snickered at her, not believing the argument she was coming up with.

"Yes, and you can ask Harry if you don't believe me." She had her hands on her hips, Draco thought her irritation was cute.

"Let's say that it's true, that's how Weasley normally is, does Potter ever help matters when he gets that way?" It was just an honest question and his tone reflected that. He never thought much about their group dynamic before.

"Not really," Hermione shrugged her shoulders. "It's not like he knows what to do any more than I do. We just know that's Ron and eventually he will get over whatever it is that's bothering him."

Draco had a similar type of friendship with Crabbe and Goyle, but it was Draco who had the domineering attitude. He tried to think of Hermione and Potter as Crabbe and Goyle…they both revolved around Ron like his friends did around him.

"Why are you wanting me to go?" She asked before he could finish his thoughts. She stopped walking.

"The Wizarding World owes you and your friends its gratitude Hermione. If not for the three of you, we wouldn't be teaching here, we would have never gotten together, and you would still be hunted. Can you imagine?" he said the last part as he shuddered.

"Instead of helping us plan our wedding, your parents would be tracking me down…" her voice sounded like it was in a far off place, and her eyes were wide.

"Yes," Draco whispered, mortified and what probably would have happened if Hermione, Potter, and Weasley hadn't stopped the Dark Lord. "I'd either be with them by force or dead…"

Hermione shot her eyes up to Draco's face, her own face had gone white. She knew it was true. Considering the past they were such an unlikely match.

"You deserve the credit that is due to you for your role in this," as he said "this" he lifted his hands up slightly to indicate an openness, such as everything. "The life you had to lead to make it all possible," he sounded like he needed to catch his breath. Her story personally caused him pain to hear because he felt it was too much for anyone to bear. Especially after meeting her parents and how much he liked them, he knew why she loved them so much.

Hermione took a deep breath and put her hand on the wall to steady herself, and looked up at the ceiling, blinking several times to keep the tears held back. She didn't like to think about the past. Draco's hand moved from the top of her shoulders down to the small of her back, and eventually he pulled her into him and felt her lightly crying on his shoulder. He wanted to say something but wasn't sure what to say, so he kept rubbing her back. He pulled her hair back away from her face and played with her hair with one hand while he rubbed her back with the other.

"I love you," she finally said to him.

"Love you too Hermione," he pulled her back to look into her eyes while he said it.

He grabbed her hand and led her back to the portrait hole and they got started on their late dinner. While they were eating Hermione had thought more about the things he had said and had made up her mind.

"Draco?"

"Yeah?" he said while he finished up his piece of pie.

"I'll go, I'll answer Kingsley's invitation." She replied.

"I'm glad to hear it," he said as he smiled at her.

"I'm going to head off to sleep, I hope you don't mind?" She said as she stood up.

"Not at all," Draco said as he watched her go. After she went in the room, he cleaned up and thought about what Hermione meant to him, not just as a fiancé, but as someone who was willing to fight in the war, and who changed the tide of his life with her sacrifices.

He knew what he wanted to do, what he needed to do. He still had parchment and a quill sitting there from the letter he was writing to his parents earlier. He grabbed the quill and started to pen a new letter.

Dear Minister,

I'm writing to ask you to let me give a speech at the ceremony you're holding. I hope you don't consider my request to be out of line, but the three of them haven't just saved the Wizarding World, they've also saved my family, and Hermione has personally saved me with her grace. I'd like to personally honor them if you find that fitting.

All the best,

Draco Malfoy

He sealed the letter and put it in his coat pocket with the letter to his parents that he planned to send out the next morning before breakfast. He headed into the bedroom and laid down next to his soon to be wife, now sleeping soundly in his arms.


	40. Chapter 40

Ch. 40

In the morning Draco got up earlier than Hermione did and headed up to the owlery. He sent out his two letters on school owls and headed out, nearly bumping into Marie Chadwick on the way. "Oh, Marie, I'm sorry about that."

He noticed she had an upset look on her face. "I'm fine Professor." She said a little coolly.

"Maybe Hermione was right," he thought, noticing that Marie seemed a little standoffish. "Maybe I need a different approach." "Hey, I heard from Professor Granger that you did well in Transfiguration last week, that you were one of only a few students able to do a spell on your first try. That's great!" He did his best to smile.

Her brown hair framed her mousy face. She didn't seem effected by the compliment. "Thanks Professor," she uttered as she continued to walk to one of the school owls.

He contemplated how out of touch he might really be and left the owlery, wondering if he would be able to fix things between his students. He then went to get Hermione and they headed off to breakfast.

As they entered the great hall he chatted back and forth with Hermione about mailing the letter this morning and seeing Marie, and how the compliment had no effect, even though they had a good relationship the year before.

"She might just be having an off day, you never know," Hermione tried to be encouraging.

They sat down and breakfast was served, Draco and Hermione both ate very little due to their late night dinner from the evening before. Then a school owl swooped down to deliver a message and stopped in front of Hermione. She untied the message and opened the letter. After glancing at it for a moment she closed the letter and put it in her bag. She didn't want to side track Draco when he had finally been ready to contemplate a different course of action with his students.

"Anything interesting?" He asked when he saw she wasn't sharing any news like she normally would.

"Not really…I do have to head out early to prepare for class today," she said in a careful tone. "See you at dinner?"

"Yeah, sure," he added. "I can walk you to class, I have a few minutes."

"I have to grab something from the library, but thank you anyways," she smiled as she got up from the table.

"Dinner?"

"Definitely," she said as she walked away.

Once out of the great hall she went straight to the library where she knew Madame Pince would be. She had said before that she saw everything that had happened at the school, and Hermione decided to take her up on asking about it.

Madame Pince greeted Hermione in her usual way of glaring with her arms crossed, the same way she greeted everyone else. This didn't make her very enticing to talk to, but Hermione wasn't abashed by her lack of manners. "Good morning Madame Pince, I wondered if you might be able to help me with something?"

She just stared at Hermione.

"Okay," Hermione picked up again. "Well, I was getting these" she pulled the letter out of her bag. She figured there was no harm in showing her the letter. "These letters, last year and then again today." She said as she handed the letter over. "I notice the letters are cut out and I wondered if you had seen any students preparing cut out letters or making something similar to this?"

"I think this needs to be turned in to the headmistress." Madame Pince answered in a serious tone as she adjusted her glasses to look at the letter.

"She expects Draco and I to have some enemies and told us not to be surprised if we got things like this at the start of term. You haven't seen anything, have you?"

"Hmmm, I don't recall…" she said as she narrowed her eyes further, apparently trying to jog her memory.

Hermione didn't think she was going to get anything further out of her. "Let me know if you happen across anything, will you?"

She considered Hermione for a moment, and then nodded her head.

"Thanks," Hermione said as she turned and left. She walked down the corridor and thought about what Draco had said about being out of touch. Things couldn't possibly be that bad.

During her first lesson of the day she had Ms. Chadwick and other students of her year in attendance. She asked the students to transfigure their pets into house plants, and most of the students struggled until the end of the lesson where they finally started to get it. After the lesson was over and the students started to pack up, Hermione called out to one of the students. "Ms. Chadwick, a word please," she said as she shuffled papers on her desk.

"Yes Professor?" she asked timidly as she approached Hermione's desk.

"You did well on your last essay…" she handed Marie an essay with a perfect score. "10 points to Slytherin," she said with an impressed look on her face.

Marie went slightly red, embarrassed. "Thank you Professor."

"Can I ask you something Marie?" Hermione wanted to use her first name, like she did with many students from her own house, to make the conversation more personal. "Are things going better than last year?"

Marie tensed for a moment and then relaxed. "Most of the time they are," she said while averting her eyes.

Hermione knew it must not be easy for her, being sorted into Slytherin house when she was a muggle born witch. "And the rest of the time?"

Marie hesitated, "I manage."

Hermione gave her a searching look. "If you ever need anything…" she began when she was interrupted by students filing in for the next lesson. Marie took advantage of Hermione breaking her eye contact to turn around quickly and grab her bag. She noticed Marie look up as Travis Bones from Gryffindor walked into the room and her face redden as she looked down again. He glanced at her and quickly glanced away. Hermione thought the exchange was odd. Perhaps there was still tension between them?

Hermione began her lesson and made a note to herself to keep a closer eye on Mr. Bones and continue to monitor their exchanges.

That evening, Draco stood in the doorway and slowly walked into the room, gazing at Hermione's figure and the smile on her face.

"Draco! I was just getting ready to head your way," she said as she pushed some papers from her desk into a bag.

"I got done a little earlier than usual." He smiled at her.

She walked over to him, leaned on his chest and gave him a peck on the lips. "I'm glad you did, ready for dinner?"

"Yeah," he said as he grabbed her hand and they headed towards the great hall.

On their way she told him about the exchange between Marie and Travis. "It's probably nothing," she said as she had a look of deep consideration on her face.

"I know that look, you don't think it's nothing, do you?" He asked when they were just outside of the hall.

"Wait," She said as she stopped walking. "Draco, I need to tell you what happened this morning at breakfast…"

He waited for her to continue.

"I…got another letter," she began.

"From the minister?" he looked confused.

He had a look of confusion on his face and her words would be the only thing that would cause it to change to the angry one that would soon replace it. She didn't want to see him upset. "Yeah," she lied and quickly recanted. "No, I mean no Draco. Sorry," she said as she shook her head. He looked even more confused. "Like the ones I was getting last year, with the cut out letters…"

He was instantly angry. "Why didn't you tell me Hermione!" His voice was full of accusation.

"Because I was worried you'd get angry and lose your temper in front of the students," she hissed at him.

He turned to walk away from the great hall. "I'm not hungry," the look on his face became a cold sneer.

She walked next to him. "Don't be silly, yes you are." She tried to reason.

"Hmph," he muttered as he kept walking.

"How about you head back and I'll go the kitchens to get you something?" she said in a helpful tone.

"Are you crazy?" he was nearly incredulous.

"What?"

"I'm not leaving you alone after what you just told me!"

"But I've been alone several times today, and several times last year…" she pointed out.

"But a lot has changed since last year, you're more of a target now than before." His voice was rising.

"Please stop shouting Draco," she said as they continued walking. "And anyways, do you think I'm at all afraid of some student, or teacher for that matter? You know what _I'm_ capable of…I'm not helpless."

He sighed. "I know you're not helpless, but that doesn't mean you shouldn't take any safety precautions, it's my job to keep you safe and you're not making it very easy."

"How is it your job?" she was starting to get defensive.

"What if it was me who was being targeted, would you be so blasé about this whole thing?"

"First of all, I'm not being blasé, and second, I think that although the letters are addressed to me, you are the one being targeted."

They walked through the portrait hole and through the front door to their room. Draco motioned for Hermione to enter before he did and he looked down both sides of the hall before entering.

"How do you figure I'm the one being targeted?" His tone was grumpy and full of doubt.

"Because you were the one who gave the biggest reaction to the letters last year, and very publicly I might add." She stood beside him reached up to put her hand on his face. He gazed down into her eyes with a serious but searching look on his face.

"Maybe I'm putting you in danger Hermione…" his tone was sad.

"More than anything, your association with me has caused you some problems of your own." She returned.

"Yeah, I guess you're right." He said as he placed his hand on top of hers to hold it there.

"On a separate note," she tried to change the subject "I felt like there was something between Mr. Bones and Ms. Chadwick, I'm almost certain of it." She removed her hand and started to pace in the living room, thinking of any other details that might be important.

Draco sighed as she changed the subject. "But they're not a likely pair, especially not after last year…" He considered what Hermione had said.

"Last year…after the fight things died down, didn't they? I hadn't heard about any further issues, did you?"

"No, but aren't things supposed to have gotten better? They both know that the staff is watching closely."

"How did that work out for us when we were kids?" She reminded him. "No matter what intervention was tried, we didn't hide our resentment for one another…" she continued to reason through the issue.

"Yeah, that wasn't a problem for us. It didn't matter if staff were watching or not, the moment a teacher was out of sight…" he said as something donned on him. "I think you're on to something."

"So something happened after their disagreement that could or could not be connected somehow." She plopped herself on the couch while running over it all again in her mind.

Draco was silent but went into the kitchen to grab a snack for them. He brought out some crackers and set them down next to Hermione.

"Do you think you would know if a student was under the imperious curse?" she asked.

Draco nearly choked on the cracker he was eating. He reached for a drink before answering. "I'm sure I would, why do you ask?" It was unthinkable to him that a student would be powerful enough to perform such a curse.

"There's just something not right going on, and we're going to get to the bottom of it."


	41. Chapter 41

Ch. 41

The next morning at breakfast they waited for a letter when an owl swooped down and delivered a message. Draco went to reach for it and then drew his hand back.

"Should I…wait to see what it is until later?" he said as he went back to eating and averted his eyes.

"Not this time," she returned. "It looks like a letter from your parents." She handed the envelope and letter over to Draco.

He opened the letter and read through it quickly. "They said they love the date and will make preparations. My mother will be sending you questions about the wedding, her way of helping." He folded up the letter. "Time to send out invitations," he said as he smiled at Hermione.

"I've picked some out so all we have to do is send off the order."

"Of course," he laughed lightly. "I figured it was only a matter of time for you to have it all planned out."

"And you get to write to dear Rita this time…" she smiled back as his smile faded slightly.

"Do I have to?"

"She doesn't have to come…" Hermione reminded.

"Sure, and then we'll spend the rest of our lives in the Prophet because we didn't invite her."

Hermione hesitated. "Well when you put it like that I guess we have to. I wrote the last letter."

"Fine, I'll write it, but we send our regular invites out first."

"Deal," she stood up to get ready to go. "See you at dinner?"

"Yeah, see you then." He said as he stood up and glanced over at his house table before leaving.

He walked down to the dungeons and passed the message written on his door as he entered his classroom. Within the next few minutes the seats filled up and he began to teach. He kept a careful eye on Mr. Bones as he thought about what Hermione had said. The only thing he noticed about him over the last year was that his grades and abilities in his class had improved quite a bit. But nothing else seemed out of the ordinary.

Likewise, Hermione was hoping to get more clues from her students' behavior, but nothing out of the ordinary happened for her either. She started day dreaming about her wedding and lost focus in between lessons. By the end of the night, her and Draco were eating again in the great hall, no further with their investigation than they had been the night before.

They both stayed up late that evening because it was a weekend and also gave them the time to get their invitations done.

"I'll write to Rita Monday after most people have received their invites." He mentioned to her.

"Alright," she said as she yawned. "I'm going to mail these off tonight, we're getting married in a few short months!" She said as she got up.

"I'll come too, keep you company," he placed his arm along the small of her back and grabbed a stack of the invitations as he escorted them out of the room.

They made it to the owlery and then she realized something. "Draco, we have way too many to send out! There aren't enough owls, why didn't I think of that before?"

"I didn't either, it's very late and we're both tired. We can go to Hogsmead tomorrow, the post office should have plenty of owls." He pulled her close and kissed her forehead. Then they both started tying the messages to the legs of several owls and left the owlery.

On the way Hermione stopped to kiss him a few times since the castle was quiet and they wouldn't be seen. By the third time they stopped Hermione heard a noise. She placed her finger on her lips to motion to Draco to be quiet.

He heard it too and nodded. "It can't be students out of bed, because the frames would have caught them. The night watch is over, what could this be?" He thought to himself.

They quietly walked down the hall. Hermione was so quiet that Draco couldn't even hear her move, he hoped he was just as quiet.

The sound led them down the hall to a room at the end, a room that was usually for storage. Hermione and Draco placed themselves against the wall and listened to the voices coming out of the room. They could hear spells being cast back and forth, not anything more than what a 5th or 6th year would be learning. After a moment, Hermione thought she was able to make out at least one voice. She grabbed Draco's hand and pulled him into the room with her.

The shock was evident in everyone's eyes. "Mr. Bones," Hermione began, "Ms. Chadwick." She nodded in her direction.

"What are you doing out of bed, professor?" Travis scrambled for what to say.

"Insubordinate!" Draco half shouted.

"What is the meaning of this," Hermione asked in a tone that showed she was serious.

Both students were quiet.

"Oh, I could deduct points from your houses? Maybe 50 ought to do the trick?" Hermione said severely.

"No," Marie shouted. "I'll tell them," she said to Travis as an angry look settled on his face. "I've been helping Travis with his lessons so he can get better grades." She said with hesitation.

"Marie!" Travis snapped at her.

"So this is why you've been sneaking out?" Hermione looked at Travis.

He nodded his head defiantly, he didn't want anyone to know he was getting lessons from her.

"How has he been sneaking out, the portraits should have notified us?" Draco said to Hermione, a look of skepticism on his face.

"Can we talk about that part later?" she realized she hadn't filled him in on the issue with the portraits that she discovered last term. Hermione turned back toward the students.

He turned back to Marie. "I thought you both didn't get along?"

"We didn't, I mean, we don't." she replied.

"Then why are you helping him?" Draco questioned.

"He…when he apologized to me I didn't believe him. It was a fake apology and he took another chance to embarrass me. I waited until I saw him alone in a corridor, and, I hexed him."

"Which hex did you use?" Draco said in a slightly amused tone.

Hermione glared at him.

"Bat-bogey hex," she replied. "And he told me I was actually pretty good at magic, and that if I agreed to help him then he wouldn't turn me in and get me expelled."

"You wouldn't get expelled for a bat-bogey hex!" Hermione exclaimed.

"In fact, you're not even in trouble for it," Draco mentioned.

"Really?" Hermione asked him.

"My house is my choice, just like your house is your choice." He returned in a haughty tone.

His tone irritated her, but she remembered when they had talked about this in the past, he was right. She let out a long sigh.

"This still doesn't explain how you both got past the portraits in the common rooms?" Draco narrowed his eyes on Mr. Bones.

"Or why you're out past midnight?" Hermione pointed out.

Travis seemed resolute on not answering.

"Mr. Bones, you either speak with us, or I will take you to the headmistress right this instant. You can't have much more to hide now anyways?" She tried to reason.

He gave Hermione a sideways look. "Alright. I used the freezing charm again, it hadn't been fixed from the last time I did it."

"That would take some good charms work for a second year…" Draco mentioned as he took mental notes.

"I was able to immobilize it before, but when I got caught last time, Professor Granger must have forgot to fix it. It was Marie who thought up the strategy, really." He offered her up so he wouldn't be in more trouble with Professor Malfoy.

Draco did a double take at Marie who held her face in her hands and looked ashamed. He felt more bad for her than angry.

"And we met this late so that no one would see us. I didn't want anyone to know I was getting help from a mug…," he started to say when he was interrupted.

"That's quite enough," Draco cut him off.

"There's nothing wrong with pointing out she's muggle born. Muggle borns have a perspective that people who were born into the magic world just don't have." Hermione gave her opinion, mostly to Draco for cutting Mr. Bones off.

"I did learn more than I thought I would." Travis added somewhat kindly.

"Still, this is a serious matter. You intimidated someone into breaking through protections set up for the school, breaking curfew and several other school rules. I think I speak for both Professor Granger and myself when I say we will need to report this to the headmistress before discussing consequences."

"Absolutely," Hermione replied in support of Draco's comment. "Now, Mr. Bones, Professor Malfoy will escort you back to Gryffindor common room and I will escort Ms. Chadwick back to hers."

Travis looked like someone had taken away Christmas. He loathed Professor Malfoy and every feature on his face showed it.

"Thank you, Professor," Draco replied to her in a sarcastic way. It was not noticeable to the students, but only to her because she knew him so well.

She nodded at him as the boys left the room and she was alone with Ms. Chadwick.

"So, Ms. Chadwick, you might be wondering why I chose to stay behind with you to escort you to your common room?" Hermione asked.

"Yeah, kind of." She was no longer holding her face in her hands. She was only still slightly pink from the embarrassing events.

"And I might ask you a question of my own. Like, why you lied when you said you thought you would be expelled?"

"I wasn't lying," Marie said defensively.

"Hmmm, you'll have to do better than that with me," Hermione pushed, "do you like him?"

"What!?" Marie said, her cheeks reddening.

"Isn't that the reason that you allowed these secret meetings and didn't report his conduct?"

Marie paused for a moment. "he's just my friend, my only friend…" she said as she started to tear up.

Hermione paused a moment. "You know…if you both would like, you could use the extra study period in my office. I'm alone during that time and usually setting up for the next lesson or just reading."

"You would do that?" She lifted her face and looked Hermione in the eyes.

"Sure," Hermione shrugged like it was no big deal.

Her face fell again. "He won't. He didn't want people to know we were friends," she said friends for lack of a better word. She didn't think that was the word he would use to describe them.

Hermione understood what she meant. "If he doesn't want to be your friend, then he isn't worth being friends with. Come on Marie, I'll walk you back to your common room."

Marie walked mainly in silence, thinking over what Professor Granger had said to her. Maybe her and Travis weren't friends after all.

When she got to the portrait hole, she felt a little guilty. She had broken school rules to get out and had bewitched the frame for it to open. She had to do the same thing in front of a teacher just to get back in. "Sorry about all of this," Marie said as she opened the portrait.

"Like Professor Malfoy said, there is no punishment for this. However, school rules exist to keep you safe, please consider that next time." Hermione saw her go inside and the portrait close behind her before she headed back to her own room.

When she walked back she walked quickly, the tired she felt earlier was creeping back over her. She finally got to the room and closed the door and planned to go straight to bed when she saw Draco standing in the doorway to the bedroom with an unhappy look on his face. She knew what this was about.

She walked over to him and ran her fingers down his arms and waited for him to speak. He looked down at her with a coldness in his eyes and she felt her temper starting to rise. When he didn't speak first she finally did.

"Are you going to talk to me, or just glower for a while longer?"

"This is serious Hermione. A student was able to pass security protections that would alert heads of houses if they left the common room after hours." He didn't avert his eyes from hers for a moment. "Nothing should be more important than our students' safety," his voice was distant.

"You might want to tell that to your own house since they also found a way to get past the spell." Her hands were on her hips.

"Bones is always into some kind of trouble, and now he's putting others at risk. I told you that he needs discipline. I expected more from a head of house."

The words hit her like a ton of bricks. It was like he was saying she wasn't fit for her post. She turned away from him and wiped her eyes and walked into the kitchen. She made herself a cup of tea and turned her face away as Draco walked into the room.

"Hermione," he said in a gentle voice as he reached out to touch her shoulder. She shrugged his hand off of her. "That was harsh, I'm sorry for what I said."

She looked over at him as the glare on her face began to soften and she wiped her eyes again. She took a deep breath. "What can I do to fix it Draco?"

"We need to talk to McGonigal in the morning and tell her what happened tonight." The cold look was gone from his eyes, but Hermione still felt it.

"Agreed." She said as she walked out of the kitchen and into the bedroom. She grabbed his blanket and a pillow and tossed them on the couch for Draco and slammed the bedroom door.

She never imagined on the eve of sending out her wedding invites that her and Draco would have a fight. She could see why he was upset, but to take it to the lengths that he did were hurtful. She laid down, totally tired, but couldn't fall asleep, the bed just didn't feel right without Draco sleeping next to her.

She got up from bed and opened the door. Draco was laying on the couch and looked up at her, his eyes slightly red too. She walked up to him and lifted the blanket up slightly and lifted his arm and laid down with him on the couch. He closed his arms around her as she laid her head against his chest.

"I'm sorry Hermione," he said while stroking her hair.

"Me too Draco," a few of her tears fell onto his shirt and she wiped them away.

He sat up and put Hermione into a position where he could lift her and stood up, carrying her off to their room. He set her gently on the bed and then climbed in next to her then pulled her against his chest again.


	42. Chapter 42

Ch. 42

The next morning Hermione woke up on top of Draco. She had drooled on his shirt and as she started to move she rolled off of him and fell right onto the floor.

She yelled as she went down, "ahhhhh!"

Draco sat up in bed. "Hermione? Where…" he said as he looked over to the side of the bed.

"Don't, don't look," Hermione said as she braced her arm against her chest and lifted her other hand up towards Draco to block his view.

He looked the other way, reddening. "When did you take your shirt off?" He was disappointed to have missed whatever moment it looked like they might have been having.

"I must have done that in my sleep," she said, embarrassed. She sometimes took her clothes off when sleeping if it was too hot. She bounded over to the dresser and grabbed one of Draco's shirts and put it on. "That's better." She said as Draco turned back to look at her.

He was stilled dazed from seeing her in her prior state. Her porcelain skin and the way her messy brown hair framed her face, and the sound of the tiredness on her voice were intoxicating to him. He closed his eyes and laid back down, a smile appearing on his face.

"What are you smiling about?" Hermione asked.

"Just thinking about how beautiful you are, and how one day you might not be so shy…" His smile widened.

She came over and bent down to him and kissed his lips, he jumped slightly and then embraced the kiss. He pulled her close to him and once she was on top of him, he rolled over so that he was on top. He moved up to kiss her lips and held her to him by wrapping his arm around the small of her back.

When he broke away reality set back in for Hermione. "Draco, we should probably get dressed, we should see the headmistress first thing."

He hung his head for a moment and then got up. "Thanks for reminding me," he sounded sarcastic. "We do need to get to her soon. The rest of the castle will be up in a few hours and I want to fix the portraits by then."

Hermione nodded and went over to the dresser to pick out her clothes for the day. She didn't ask Draco to leave as she changed, but kept her back to him. He tried not to look over very often, but a part of him couldn't help it. He enjoyed watching her, and when she was done she turned around to look at him and she smiled.

He grabbed his own clothes and did the same thing, kept his back to her and got dressed. When he looked back at Hermione she was sitting down taking in the sight of his body with a reddish look on her face. He wanted to kiss her again but knew if he started he probably wouldn't be able to stop.

Hermione must have been thinking along the same lines because she walked out of the room and waited for him by the front door. They walked to the spiral staircase and Hermione whispered the password for the gargoyle to spring aside. They knocked at the headmistress's door but neither of them were sure if she was in her office this early or not.

"Come in," she answered.

"Doesn't she ever take a break?" Draco asked Hermione as she smiled and pushed through the door.

"Good morning Professor," Hermione began.

"What do I owe the pleasure?" She said as she poured two cups of tea and set them down in front of the chairs near her desk.

They both took a seat and Draco grabbed his tea. "We wanted to talk to you about an issue last night with some students."

"I trust everything is alright?" she questioned.

"Perfectly," Hermione answered.

"It's just that, last night we found out that students are able to get past the protections on the portraits. We found two students out of bed after midnight yesterday evening in a tutoring session. We plan to fix the portraits today."

"It doesn't surprise me that a student would have found a way past them. That's what they do if they want to get out bad enough, Professor, they will find a way." She addressed Draco.

He was shocked that she wasn't angry with him for the security feature not working as it should have.

"Who were the two students, lovebirds from the same house?" She was picturing which students could have been the culprits.

"Actually no," Hermione returned. "Marie Chadwick from Slytherin…" she started and then paused.

"And Travis Bones from Gryffindor." Draco finished in a dark tone.

"But aren't those two at odds?" She clarified.

"Yeah," Draco began when Hermione interjected.

"I'm not sure that's the case, at least with Marie anyways."

"What?" Draco hadn't heard this from her yet and didn't think he heard her correctly. "Perhaps I didn't hear you right."

"I think Marie has a friendship with him, she admitted as much on her way back to the common room." She turned back to the headmistress, "however, we did tell them not to sneak out again and I offered up my free period for them to use my classroom if they wanted to continue their lessons."

Draco gave Hermione a look that said 'absolutely not.' Hermione ignored him.

"Very well, anything further that you would like to discuss?" she asked.

"There is one thing, the matter of their punishment. What do you suggest?" Draco asked.

"Ahhh, yes. This was the hardest part of being a head of house, deciding if students warranted losing points or if it would be better to have left it alone entirely."

"You can't mean…do you mean for them to have no consequences?" Draco was slowing coming to realize that he didn't know the headmistress at all.

"I'll leave that for you two to decide, but a word of caution. Young people are often hard on themselves, perhaps they've been made vulnerable in being exposed. If you treat the vulnerability with care, such as your heads of houses have done with each of you, better things will come of it. That will be all." She said as she excused them.

Hermione nodded and Draco walked to the door with a dazed look on his face, looking back at the headmistress like he didn't know what to make of her.

"Yes, I gave Dumbledore that look many times, I know what you are feeling Draco," she said in a kind tone. "Perhaps when you become my age you will understand," she smiled and Draco gave her a curt nod before leaving her office.

Draco was expecting McGonigal to give out a strict punishment, to write to their parents, or to take points away from their houses. He was relieved that neither he or Hermione were facing any consequences as their heads of house but he fully expected they would.

"Draco, say something," Hermione said as they walked back to the portrait hole and arrived at their door. They had walked the whole way back in silence.

"After you," he said as he held open the door.

"That doesn't count as saying something," she said in a playful voice.

He gave her a mischievous smile and went into the kitchen to make tea. She decided to go sit down on the couch with a book and wait until he was either ready to talk or go fix the portraits to the houses.

When he came out he carried two tea cups and set them down on the side table like usual and just sat there deep in thought; McGonigal's words, and then Dumbledore's were echoing in his head. He was there the night Dumbledore had died, the night where he refused to beg for his life and instead saw through Draco with kindness and concern for him, even in his most desperate attempt. And he remembered his Godfather and his head of house who was always there to offer his support, even in that terrible act. A tear rolled down his cheek and he wiped it away.

Hermione slowly lowered her book to look at Draco for a moment. She wasn't sure if she should comfort him or leave him in peace to be alone with his thoughts. It wasn't often she ever saw him cry. She stood up and came over to him and sat on his lap and pulled his head against her chest. She started to run her fingers through is hair but he reached up and gently grabbed her wrist to stop her. She kept her arms around him and stayed there as a few more tears fell. He wrapped his arms around her and took a few deep breaths, her soft vanilla scent helped to calm him down. After a few minutes he released his grip on her.

"Do you want to talk about it?" She asked. She wondered what could have made him so upset.

He wasn't sure if he ever told her about his involvement in Dumbledore's death. His guilt overwhelmed him again. How would she feel after she learned that about him, would it finally be too much to hear? "Remember when I let all the death eaters and the Dark Lord into the school?"

Hermione just nodded.

"Well, I was given a mission by the Dark Lord my 6th year, to kill Dumbledore or he would kill my family. I worked all year to find a way to do it, Potter knows all about that." He had been looking away but now looked at her to see if she might have heard this part from Potter.

"Yeah," she nodded, "I didn't believe Harry when he first suspected you. He was right in the end though..." She felt like she maybe shouldn't have added the last part.

"I cornered Dumbledore the night I let the death eaters into the castle," he was looking away again. "He offered me a way out and I told him that he was a fool. When it came time to…kill him…I couldn't. Snape stepped in and did it for me. I would have never believed he would do it, but my mother told me later that he made an unbreakable vow to help me with the task the Dark Lord gave me."

Hermione shivered, not because of what Draco described, it was the way he said 'Dark Lord,' that gave it almost reverence, power.

He wondered if he had shared too much. He peered up at her face that was a little bit white. He looked her in the eyes as he spoke his next words. "It was my fault he died, and my fault that Snape became a murderer." He felt a tear well up again and spill over and lowered his head back down. "And McGonigal said that our heads of house had been there when we had been vulnerable, but I'm sure she had no idea just how much that was true."

Hermione knew something of this story from Harry, but a different version. "Draco, Dumbledore was very ill our 6th year. Did you know he worked out an agreement with Professor Snape to wait for the right moment to end his life? As a mercy killing?"

Draco was shocked and pulled Hermione back to look into her face. "No, he pleaded with him not to do it…"

"I watched the whole thing through Professor Snape's memories, he left them for Harry. On the roof he said 'Please,' but didn't say not to. Dumbledore had picked that as his time to go, so that Professor Snape could keep his vow and you could finish your mission." She was surprised she remembered his memories so clearly, but then again, she couldn't believe what they contained.

"Are you certain? Absolutely certain?" He asked, incredulous.

"Yes." She stood up from his lap and he stood up from the couch. "You could go ask him…" she returned.

"You're right!" he said as he left the room and was gone.

She sat back down on the couch but couldn't read, it just wasn't engaging her mind. She started thinking about the portraits and wondered how many students in the school really knew about the flaws in the security. She decided to go fix portrait's without Draco's help.

She headed to each portrait in the school and put a spell to make it recognize being tampered with that gave it a silent alarm effect, the same as if it opened after hours. Each one that was still linked to the portrait in head of house quarters. She saw Neville and Flitwick speaking as she passed by the great hall. "I wondered if I could have a quick word with each of you?"

"Sure," Professor Flitwick replied. "What can I do for you Professor?"

Neville nodded in agreement.

"I wanted to let you know that Draco and I found two students out of bed the other night. The students have found a way past the protections, but I've put a new spell on the portraits and I hope you won't mind."

"What houses were the students from? Not mine I hope?" Neville replied.

Hermione reddened. "Actually no, they were from Slytherin and Gryffindor."

Both professors didn't look shocked. Considering the nature of the students in those houses it really wasn't much of a surprise. They both shrugged their shoulders, clearly not as excited as Hermione was.

"I just wanted to make you aware, I'm off to see the headmistress to let her know as well." She turned and headed into the hall with the stone gargoyle and gave the password. She walked up the stairs and could hear Draco's voice, it was more calm than earlier. She stood at the door for a moment.

"Why did you do all of it then? It doesn't make any sense?" Draco was saying.

"It makes perfect sense, Draco. You should know better than anyone what I must have been feeling. What if they were still in power when you had fallen for Granger? Is there anything you wouldn't do to avenge her?" It was the voice of Severus Snape.

"If anything happened to Hermione…" he shuddered.

She didn't come here to eavesdrop and decided to knock on the door.

Draco answered the door with a serious expression on his face that melted when he saw Hermione. He reached out and touched her shoulder and pulled her in for a hug.

"Draco?" Snape called for him.

He broke the hug and came walking back into view, holding Hermione's hand.

"Ms. Granger!" Dumbledore's portrait spoke to her.

"Hello Professor," she said as she nodded his direction.

"I expect you were the one who told Draco about the agreement between Severus and myself?" He looked down his half moon spectacles at her.

"Yes sir," she returned.

"I'm glad you did. That was quite a heavy burden to bear."

"I think it was Professor Snape's burden more than anything," Hermione replied to the headmaster.

Snape whipped his head up to look at Hermione. "Yes Granger, it really was."

"I'm sorry for invading your privacy, Harry shared the memories you left with Ron and myself."

Snape curled his lip.

"He was instructed by me to share everything with the two of you, so you can blame me for that as well, Severus."

"You'll protect Potter even in your death?" Severus asked sarcastically. "It was a gross invasion."

"Professor?" Hermione asked.

"Me?" Snape asked her.

She nodded. "Thank you. You sacrificed so much, more than anyone ever should have. I'm honored to say I knew you."

"Don't get all weepy Granger," Snape said, but he was a little softer, but not that noticeably.

Draco pulled her in tighter for a hug.

"Uggh," Snape said as he left his frame.

"Have you set a date?" Dumbledore asked.

"New Year's," Draco answered as he beamed at the headmaster. "I'm glad you came to get me Hermione, we need to send out our invitations."

She hesitated for a moment. "I actually didn't come to get you Draco. I wanted you to take as much time as you needed. I fixed the portraits and alerted the heads of houses. I hope you're not upset with me?"

"You're such a know it all," he said as he leaned in to kiss her.

Snape had taken that moment to walk back into his frame. "Eww, let me know when it's safe to come back Albus." He said as he left again.

Hermione started laughing. "I needed to talk to the headmistress to let her know. Then we can mail out these invitations. Is she here?"

"No, she left to let me speak to Professor Snape." He replied. "I'm sure we can catch her up later."

Hermione shrugged. "Alright."

They left the headmistresses office and headed to get their things and set off for Hogsmead. They went into the post office and sent their invitations off and the date now felt very final.


	43. Chapter 43

Ch. 43

Over the next week Hermione managed to get two more nasty letters, but she ignored them. Draco was so excited about the wedding that he didn't dwell on the letters like he had before, however he still left the blood traitor message on his classroom door, proud of his new blood status. The time for the ceremony was fast approaching at the end of the week and Hermione visited the headmistress to let her know she would be missing work to attend.

"I was already informed by Professor Malfoy when you received the invitation that you would both need time off to attend. That's perfectly fine." She reassured.

Hermione realized that Draco arranged time off with the headmistress before she even agreed to go and felt a little irritated. She did her best to mask her irritation in front of the headmistress but she could still see there was something bothering her.

"Why don't you have a seat Hermione," she said as she transfigured a cup and poured her a cup of tea. "How are you settling in? There have been a lot of changes this year."

"I think things are going really well. I love being back at the castle, teaching. Things are going well with Draco and I can't believe I'll actually be getting married soon." Hermione felt her frustration start to melt away.

"I'm glad to hear it. Draco mentioned that you didn't want to go to the ceremony?"

"Did he?" Hermione questioned, her irritation was obvious.

"Please don't be upset with him. It was my fault. I mentioned that you must be looking forward to such an event. He didn't offer a reply so I questioned him further. I'm glad you changed your mind." She reassured.

"I just don't see why the three of us would be recognized when so many others made this possible too." Hermione admitted.

"Hmmm," the headmistress considered her for a minute. "Everyone had their own journey, I suppose you have a point there. But not everyone broke into Gringotts, not everyone went on a non-sense search for hidden pieces of a dark wizards soul, and not everyone would have broken into Hogwarts."

Hermione thought about what she said. "Do you know what the worst part was for me? Listening to the radio when we got signal to hear the names of the ones who didn't make it, especially the ones who had helped us."

"I listened to that program too and fed them information about how things were going inside the school. It was hell here. I was afraid Longbottom would finally be beaten to death by the Carrows and then he disappeared. Oher students began disappearing until they came out for the final battle. Who knew the castle was so well prepared to hide its own students?" She sighed as she finished.

Hermione realized her and McGonigal hadn't talked this openly about the war, or really anything since she had become a teacher.

"I'm surprised you stayed." Hermione finally added.

"My first priority was to keep the students safe, and I couldn't very well do that away from the school. There were plenty of students who would have been much more badly injured had I not been here."

"I can see your point of view, I can't even imagine Hogwarts like that now." Hermione shook her head. "Can I ask you something?"

The headmistress shrugged.

"I was shocked when I started here and Draco was teaching. In the community it seems like he has to prove himself, but it seems like he never had to do that here. Why?" Hermione had always wondered, but less and less the more she got to know Draco.

The headmistress sighed and considered Hermione. "I suppose there is no harm in telling you, who knows him so well." She took a deep breath and began. "Draco was here off and on during his 7th year, and there were several times he was sent to watch over to make sure I was punishing students, or doing what the Carrows asked me to do. From the start I told Draco my thoughts on his behavior and everyday, he took my criticism and never gave me a bad look or raised his voice, or turned me in. I asked him one day why he didn't and he said it was because he agreed with me and he deserved it and that we wouldn't have been facing any of this had he not let death eaters into the school. In that moment, at least, he earned my respect."

"I had no idea," Hermione imagined the position that Draco had been in.

"He could have been able to do some real damage to students, and although he has never been perfect, as is the case with all of us, he was at least kind when he could be. He let students out of punishments and had to answer to the Carrows a few times, but I daresay, he could stand his ground with them."

She considered Draco a little more and that perspective of his time at Hogwarts.

"When the job of potions master came open, I didn't even post it. To be honest, I contacted him directly and asked him if he wanted to join the staff. He graciously accepted but asked me if there had been some mistake. The staff here were shocked, but they saw the same kind behavior that I did and were able to forgive overtime."

"If you had posted it I doubt you would have found someone with the skill that he has. He really is an exceptional potions master."

"I've been getting a lot of requests for potions from St. Mungo's after you both have arrived back. It turns out they think he's skilled as well and, since he refuses to work for them, they have been asking if they can order potions and make donations to the school."

"Seriously? Does Draco know about this?"

"Yes, he's been making them for the last month. I'm not sure what we'll do with the donations…" she said.

"Could we do something nice for our house elves?" Hermione interjected.

The headmistress gave her an odd look. "You were involved with a group to free house elves at one point, if I'm remembering correctly."

"I started the group, yes."

"I got so many complaints from them that they stopped cleaning the common room one year. We do pay them wages if they want it, but most are mortally offended at the suggestion. If you'd like, you can ask them next time you happen by the kitchens, see if there is anything they would like…" The headmistress sat up a little straighter.

Hermione knew how that conversation with the elves would go over. "Thanks for the tea Professor, I think I need to be heading back now." She said as she took her last sip and set the cup back down.

"Anytime, and Hermione?"

Hermione turned back to look at her.

"You can call me Minerva."

Hermione smiled, "Goodnight Minerva."

"Good night." She returned.

Hermione contemplated what the headmistress had told her on her way back. She thought about how Hogwarts had adapted over time to all the changes in the wizarding world. She thought about Draco and how he had gotten his position at the school and how that had been a way for him to hit reset on his past.

When she came in Draco was sitting at the desk in their room grading papers.

"Hey, do you have a second? I wanted to talk to you about something…"

Draco shrugged and put his quill down.

"Professor McGonigal said you asked her for the time off for Shacklebolt's party after I got the invite, before I had ever intended on going…"

"Yeah. I asked her right after you received it." He replied with a haughty smile.

"The invite for the party I told you I didn't want to go to?" she raised her eyebrows.

"Yes, I don't deny my actions," his tone was arrogant.

Hermione gave him a sideways look for his tone, he wasn't even aware he had one.

"Look Hermione," he said as he gazed at her. "I know where you're going with this…I didn't respect your wishes…" he faltered.

"Exactly," she began.

"But I'm not sorry." He was clear in explaining this to her. He didn't look sorry at all.

She furrowed her eyebrows at him. "Right," she said with a grumpy tone as she started to turn around and leave the room.

"What is that supposed to mean?" He asked.

"Nothing," she said as she kept walking.

"No, what is it?" Draco followed her into the front room.

She took a deep breath. "Why would you care what I want? I sometimes forget that you're…you know what, just forget it." She said as she stepped past Draco.

He braced her arm. "Hermione, if you have something to say to me, then just say it." He said while catching her gaze.

"I sometimes forget that you're the same Draco Malfoy that I used to clash with when we were kids. This is the side of you that drives me crazy sometimes." She blurted out.

He shrugged again. "Do you think I haven't felt that way towards you at times? You have your moments…"

Hermione's eyes widened in shock. "Like when?" Her voice had gotten several pitches higher.

"Are you serious?" he considered her shock and he had to stop himself from laughing. "It doesn't matter, I love you Hermione, even the parts that drive me crazy." His sweet tone had returned and he started to play with her hair. He thought she was cute when she was mad.

Hermione's grumpy and shocked expression softened. "Since I decided to go, I'll drop it. But next time I want you to wait until I say I'm ready before deciding for me that I'll go."

He didn't answer as he leaned in to kiss her. He had traced her lips with his thumb and pulled his hand away. He turned to her and put his arm around her and pulled her in for a hug. "Let's get some rest," he said as he walked with her into the bedroom.

Hermione started to change out of her robes and Draco went to leave the room. "You can stay Draco," she said in a soft tone.

He went and sat on the bed and started taking off his robes and clothes until he was ready for bed. He planned to sleep in his boxers because it was too hot for him. Hermione kept glancing at Draco and he glanced at her from time to time as well.


	44. Chapter 44

Ch. 44

The evening of the ceremony had finally arrived. After waiting for Hermione to get ready, Draco had fallen asleep on the couch. She bent over him and her curls touched his chest as he felt her lips on his.

He opened his eyes and sat up, starting at Hermione. She curled her hair and had the side pinned back and she wore a black knee length dress that had a lacy top. Her shoulders and arms were exposed as the dress was a halter on top. She wore a diamond bracelet on her wrist that accentuated her engagement ring. He was speechless.

"Do I look okay?" she asked timidly.

"You…look…amazing," he said as he reached out to touch her waist and pulled her onto his chest.

"Not now Draco, we have to get ready to leave." She reminded him.

"I'll go throw on my dress robes," he went into the next room and came out 30 seconds later fully dressed.

"I was thinking we could apparate from Hogsmead?" Hermione suggested. She definitely didn't get dressed up to travel by floo powder.

Draco held out his arm for Hermione to take. "Lead the way."

She grabbed his arm and they walked to Hogsmead and apparated to London close to the Ministry. They saw many others who were dressed up and headed to the ministry, Hermione didn't recognize many of them but Draco noticed a few.

Once inside the ministry Hermione realized something. "I don't know where we're headed Draco. I never intended to come so I didn't pay attention to the invitation that closely." She had forgotten the invitation and the directions back in their room at the castle.

"That's okay, I know exactly where we are going…" he said as he continued to walk, holding her hand on top of his arm.

The ministry had changed a lot since the last time she had come there. The magic is might statue was gone and there was nothing there to replace it. The colors of the ministry made it warmer, more inviting. There were several spaces that were colored with light blue and silver, making it seem more open as well.

After a few minutes of walking Draco led her into a ballroom that had numerous people in it. She saw that Harry and Ron were already seated up front at a table with Ginny and another lady that Hermione couldn't make out until she got closer. When she got a little closer she noticed radish earrings and her signature yellow dress she wore to mark joyous occasions. She took the empty seat next to Luna and Draco took the seat next to Harry so he could sit next to Hermione and complete their table.

"Hermione! I'm glad you decided to make it!" Harry said as he reached out and squeezed her hand.

"Careful Harry," Ron said in a snide tone.

"Ronald, that's enough," Hermione said sharply and Ron rolled his eyes but stopped.

"It's nice to see you Luna," Hermione commented.

"I hope it's not weird that I came as Ron's date, I know you two used to be together," Luna said in a kind tone that made the whole environment awkward.

"Actually Luna, I'm glad you came as Ron's date. You've always been brave and courageous, like Ron, so I think you guys will make a great pair." Hermione said genuinely. Ron looked over at Hermione in shock to hear her say nice things about him, especially after their last encounter.

"Thank you Hermione," Luna said as she beamed. "Wrackspurt got to you?" Luna said as she looked over at Draco who was staring at Luna, shocked by her attire.

"I'm sorry, what?" He asked as he averted his eyes, aware he had been staring.

Hermione had just taken a drink and partially spit it out for laughing. She grabbed her napkin to clean the mess as Luna glared at her and dropped the subject.

Ron put his arm around Luna and could be heard whispering to her, causing her to laugh and smile.

Ginny rolled her eyes and started Hermione in a conversation about her wedding and the plans her and Draco had. "We got the invitation of course, we were all starting to wonder," She laughed.

"And now you've really set a precedent Hermione, thanks for the pressure!" Harry said jokingly.

"We do plan to get married, but we're waiting until Harry is a fully fledged Auror, he has about a year to go."

"Congratulations you guys," Draco said with enthusiasm. "Marriage is not what I expected for myself, but when you meet the right person, everything just falls into place." He said as he looked at Hermione.

She smiled at him and squeezed his hand.

Kingsley Shacklebolt walked over to their table and clasped Harry on the shoulder. "We'll be starting in about a minute, I think everyone is nearly here."

Hermione looked out and saw that there were a lot of people. She looked over at Draco who gave her an encouraging smile.

There was a podium up front where Kingsley Shacklebolt took the stage. The lights were lowered and tiny little specks of light filled the air to give a dim and soft feeling to the room.

"I've invited you all here tonight so we could pay respects to our trio of hero's that helped turn the tide of war. Their daring exploits, their courage and bravery, our world will speak about for centuries. While many of us had lost hope that things would ever get better, and watched as our friends were executed, these three remained steadfast on ending Tom Riddle. I'd like to formally thank each of them and invite them up to say a few words."

The crowd clapped and Kingsley began again. "Ronald Weasley," Kingsley announced. Ron got up and walked up on stage, his countenance a little uncertain. "Your courage and bravery are appreciated and the whole wizarding world is in your debt." Kingsley held out his hand for Ron to shake and Ron thrust his hand into the Minister's. As the clapping died down Kingsley looked at Ron to speak.

"Right," Ron began to speak a few words and then realized that people couldn't hear him properly. He held his wand to his throat and tried again. "Is this better, oh," he was off to an awkward start. "I guess I'd just like to say that this mission taught me more than anything has in my entire life. I used to be a selfish person," he paused and looked over at Hermione. "I guess I still kind of am sometimes, but I learned what it means to never turn your back on someone. Those times were dark and made me realize that we are lucky to have the people we have in our lives and not to take them for granted because someday they might not be there anymore. You guys rooting for us kept us going when we were at our lowest and without your support this wouldn't have been possible. Thank you," Ron put his wand down and nodded at the Minister before leaving the stage.

Kingsley took center stage again, "and next I'd like to welcome Harry Potter!"

"Why am I going last?" Hermione whispered to Draco. He shrugged his shoulders to watch Potter's speech.

"Harry, we are in your debt, a debt we can never repay. Your whole life had been taken from you because of the actions of Tom Riddle and his followers, and you still kept on fighting. I knew your mother and father very well and I know where your fighting spirit comes from. I hope you don't mind me saying but your parents would be so very proud of the man you've turned into Harry. Would you mind saying a few words?"

Harry had his wand ready to speak. "Thank you all for coming out tonight to celebrate this honor with my friends and myself. Thank you Minister for the kind words about my parents, and I'd like to talk about them if no one minds. I was raised to believe that my parents died in a car crash and that my parents were unemployed school drop outs." At this there were many gasps, the Potter's were widely respected in the wizarding world.

"It's true. I was raised as a muggle born and it wasn't until I got my letter that I knew there was something different about me. As I got to know who my parents were, I became very proud of them and in my first year I saw my parents for the first time in the Mirror of Arised. Can you imagine being twelve and seeing your parents for the first time? I saw them again and talked to them the night that Cedric Diggory was murdered during the Triwizard tournament, but only briefly. And the day that Voldemort was defeated, I saw them again when I held a special stone that could bring spirits back; at the moment when I knew I was about to die. My life is proof that life isn't always fair, but our lives should have purpose and meaning to those around us. So please don't feel sorry for me, I got to fulfil my destiny the night Voldemort died, and now I'm looking forward to the next chapter." Harry turned back to shake hands with the Minister and walked off the stage.

Hermione readied herself to be called next.

"Next, someone would like to say a few words before I call up our final hero. Please welcome Draco Malfoy."

Hermione just looked at Draco as he got up to the stage, very few people clapped. Hermione noticed this and got in a few late claps for him.

Draco held up his wand and began to speak to the crowd. "You might be wondering why I of all people would be attending this event, and I think that's a fair question. I have known Hermione since we were kids and we quickly became enemies at school. Those of you who know my family know too well to doubt that pure blood has always been an obsession and I was raised to believe that muggle borns posed a threat to pure blood status."

The crowd looked uncomfortable and many people also looked angry and could be seen glaring at him from their seats.

"There were many things that I had believed, but they all changed one night. While the dark lord was still in power, three people were brought into my house by Fenir Greyback, the three we are here to celebrate tonight. I was asked to identify them but said I couldn't be sure who they were because I knew what my Death Eater aunt would have done. She recognized Hermione right away and set to torturing her. As I watched my aunt torture my enemy, I realized that Hermione wasn't my enemy, she was no threat to blood status, and the truth was that pure blood wizards felt threatened at the tremendous skill that muggle borns possess. After the war I began working at Hogwarts as potion master and had been very grateful to get a job there after my family name and actions had doomed me to a life of shame and despair, until my enemy got a teaching job at the very same school I taught at." He looked over at Hermione who was still dumbfounded that he was giving a speech at all.

"I tell you this story not to give you my history, but to illustrate to you all just how broken and undeserving I was when Hermione came into my life. We didn't work so well together, in fact, we were fighting and bickering long before term even started. The Headmistress made us work together so we could learn to be a team, a lesson I resented her for at the time, but that I'm also grateful for now. Over the course of that year I learned so much from Hermione, and her endless patience gave me a reason to believe in second chances. I know many of you can't see me as a good person because of my family name and actions I had been a part of, but Hermione is always able to see past that to who I am. This is the gift that she's given the wizarding world, a second chance, and I wanted to tell you how grateful we are for you Hermione."

Many in the audience were awed by his sweet speech and moved, many were wiping their eyes.

Kingsley came up and cupped Draco's shoulder. "Without further ado, Ms. Hermione Granger." Draco walked down and Hermione kissed him on the cheek on her way up.

Kingsley shook her hand and began speaking. "You are often described as the glue that would hold the three of you together. When times got hard, you kept the team on a steady course and didn't give up or throw in the towel even when things were at their worst. Your leadership lead to the world we have today and the Wizarding World thanks you for your service." He smiled at her and as the clapping stopped he encouraged her to speak to the crowd, "Go ahead."

Hermione hesitantly faced the crowd and held her wand up to speak. "I didn't prepare anything for tonight, in fact, I had made up my mind not to come when Draco finally wore me down enough to agree. Not that I don't appreciate the gratitude, I do, but it wasn't just the three of us who put our lives on the line. We had so much help and support, and people made courageous choices everyday to help us out. I'd like to recognize a few of those people; Albus Dumbledore, Sirius Black, Severus Snape, Griphook the Goblin, Arthur and Molly Weasley, Bill and Fleur Weasley, Remus and Nymphadora Lupin, Mad Eye Moody, Minerva McGonigal, Luna Lovegood, and Neville Longbottom as well as many many others. Draco," she addressed him directly. "We began an unlikely friendship last year, but meeting you has helped me to move on from the war and what I experienced."

She paused to address the crowd, "As hard as it was for those who were in hiding, his followers who were in plain sight were treated like captives and prisoners. Some, however, were committed to doing his bidding and they deserve their time for their crimes, but a young person like Draco never stood a chance."

She addressed Draco again, "I'm proud of you for being able to risk your life to switch sides before the war had ended and being brave enough to talk in front of all of these people tonight when you didn't think you would have been well received. Thank you all for this honor." She bowed and quickly walked off the stage. As she sat down Draco put his arm around her.

Kingsley led the audience in a round of applause for the three hero's. "I have one more surprise for tonight. Everyone might have noticed that we haven't replaced the fountain in the main lobby. We were planning on making something spectacular to celebrate the actions these three had taken to preserve our world." Curtains behind him opened up and there was something large that was covered up. It had to be about two stories tall. The Minister pulled the cloth off to reveal a statue of a Dragon, the dragon they left Gringotts on, and they were all riding on its back while it reared up. There was a plaque that read "When all beings can live in harmony, only then, can we have true and lasting peace."

Kingsley read the inscription and the group seemed to enjoy the fountain that was created. There were many ooh's and awwws. "To show our appreciation for these three, we've agreed to pay off the debts to Gringott's Wizarding Bank on their behalf, which was quite a sum," he added. The group clapped for this, it was a widely known story since the Prophet published articles about the bank asking for these funds about a few times a week. It was also a well known fact that the goblins had begun asking for more money since they removed the wanted posters.

Hermione didn't know how all the money in Gringotts would pay off their debts since they smashed through several layers of the bank including the ceiling and made off with some old and valuable property. She felt bad that the whole wizarding world was basically funding the payoff to Gringotts and wondered if this wasn't something she should try to make payments on herself.

After the speeches Kingsley snapped his fingers and the tables disappeared. A dance floor was noticeable for the first time and people started mingling around the room.

She was listening to Harry, Ginny and Ron speak when Harry caught her eye and noticed something was wrong. He moved closer to Hermione. "How much do you think the ministry paid?" He said in a low voice, knowing what she was thinking.

Draco noticed the exchange but didn't feel bothered or jealous about her friendship with Potter. He appeared the closest thing she had to a brother.

"A fortune, Harry," she said in a disappointed tone.

"What we did benefited the whole wizarding world, we could have just as easily have died or been captured during the break in."

Hermione shuddered. "I remember, we were lucky."

Harry nodded in reply. "That was a nice introduction Draco." He hoped to include him in the conversation.

Draco and Harry began talking as Kingsley approached the group. "Ms. Granger, can I have this dance?"

"I couldn't refuse the Minister of Magic!" she said as she walked off to the dance floor with him.

They had been friends ever since she had been in school and the Order was coming together. She wanted to ask about the sum the ministry paid but didn't want to come off as rude or ungrateful.

"Is something on your mind Hermione?" He asked her.

"No…well, yes. I don't wish to be impolite Kingsley, but was the sum very much?"

"Oh, no need to worry about that. It was a high price, but you know, the goblins are always wanting high profile goblin made items. We gave them two items that were in the ministry possession that we didn't have a need for, and that was enough to pay the debt. So you see, it wasn't out of our reach in the least, and they got something they valued out of it." He finished.

Hermione gave her best fake smile to Kingsley. She was mortified that the debt was settled for so little and that pieces of their culture were held over the goblin's head. Was this the peace the inscription on the fountain was referring to?

Halfway into the dance Draco approached and asked to cut in. "Certainly Draco," Kingsley replied.

Draco took Hermione by the waist and pulled her close and put his lips up to her ear. "You don't look very happy for someone who's having a party."

"Is it that obvious?" She asked.

"No, you're good at hiding it, but I can tell." He dipped her and pulled her back up again.

She gave him a real smile.

"That's what I wanted to see," he said as he pulled her in slowly, brushed her hair back from her cheek and softly touched her lips.

Just then a flash happened right in front of her face and she was seeing stars.

"What?!" She heard Draco yell in an angry tone. She held on to him so she could keep her balance.

"Picture for the Prophet!" a man's voice called out. A reporter walked up next to him and had a quick quotes quill ready to go in her hand.

The fake smile Hermione wore before returned to her face. Draco did a double take at Hermione and noticed Rita standing there.

"Young love! With the marriage only three months away I bet you both are excited. But do I detect some nerves from you Mr. Malfoy?"

"No…I" he began when he was interrupted.

"Does your fiancé's _close_ friendship with _**two**_ other men your age ever bother you?"

"What?" he said in a frustrated tone.

"I seem to have struck a nerve. It's understandable Draco," she laid the friendly understanding on thick. "It must he hard," she put her hand on his shoulder.

He moved back so her hand would drop. "I don't have a problem with Potter," he answered.

Her quill went crazy. "So you have a problem with Ronald Weasley?"

"I never said that!" He was getting escalated.

"This is why I didn't want her at the wedding," Hermione thought to herself.

"Face of fury as he grips onto Hermione's hand at the mention of another man," she whispered to the quill.

Hermione reached out for the notebook but Rita saw her reaction coming and got to it first.

"Tsk, tsk, tsk, Ms. Granger. We mustn't take things that aren't ours…"

"Isn't there any obligation to print the truth?" Hermione let slip at the start of her outrage.

"Look, people are tired of reading the same old thing, and now that this debt to Gringotts is paid the readers want romances, love triangles." She dropped her voice to a whisper. "Consider it a payment towards me living in a jar…" she returned the fake smile Hermione wore earlier. Rita walked away, but could still be heard dictating to her quill. "Her fiancé rushed to her aid, this was clearly a sore subject between the both of them…"

Draco looked at Hermione and raised his eyebrows.

Hermione gave him a self satisfied look, as if to say, I told you so.

He put his hand back on her waist and continued to dance to calm himself. When the dance was over they rejoined the group.

"What do you say to a dance Hermione?" Ron asked her, he had clearly had a few drinks. She looked at Draco and then at Luna.

"Do you mean that Draco and I should dance too?" Luna asked.

She couldn't imagine how uncomfortable that might be for Draco. "Um, I…" she stammered as Luna grabbed Draco's arm and led them out to the floor. Draco looked back at Hermione with a look of shock in his eyes but when Luna turned to him, he did his best to smile.

Hermione chuckled and grabbed Ron's arm, eyeing him suspiciously as he led her out to the floor.

He kept his hands respectfully high. "You smell nice Hermione," he commented.

"Thanks Ron. So you and Luna?" She asked in a friendly tone.

"I know we don't seem to have much in common, but she's nice. It's not serious, we're just kind of…you know." He finished.

"Oh," Hermione blushed at the hint of a physical relationship. "But you must have something in common…" she tried to search for a topic.

"Haha," Ron laughed a little darkly, "there is one thing we have in common, our feelings about Malfoy…"

Hermione refused to give him a reaction. "Well at least you have that!" She said cheerfully.

Ron stopped dancing and pulled apart from her slowly and looked at Hermione.

"Wha…" but before she could answer he had kissed her hard on the lips. She pulled away and before she knew what happened she had slapped him across the face. In an instant Draco was at her side and Harry inserted himself between Ron and Draco. Gasps were coming from some of the crowd and Hermione had gone totally red with embarrassment. A bright white flash popped up in her face for the second time that night and she was temporarily blinded. She had no one to hold onto and feared she was going to lose her balance if she moved. She felt someone reach out and touch her and she instinctively moved back.

"It's me," Draco whispered in her ear. "This is quite a scene," he commented. He faked a laugh loudly and looked at Harry. "Old friends, what can I say?" and he appeared to shrug the incident off. Hermione wondered how much Draco had seen.

Harry tried to return the laugh but it sounded very forced. "Not to worry everyone, they disagree like this from time to time…" He got Ron to agree to dance with Luna and once out of the way approached Hermione. People were still looking while most returned back to the festivities like nothing had happened. Harry put his arm around Hermione's shoulders and she laid her head on his shoulder.

There was nothing for them to say. It wasn't Harry's fault that Ron had acted that way or that Hermione had slapped him. "He just can't behave anywhere I guess," Harry said in a disappointed tone.

"Behave?" Draco asked, his eyebrows furrowing.

Hermione realize he hadn't seen the kiss, but had probably only heard the slap. "What did you see Draco?" She asked.

"I saw your hand come down after what I assume was a slap. I'm sorry I missed it to be honest."

His words hung on the air as Harry and Hermione took a quick look at each other and looked away again. "I think we might leave…" Hermione mentioned to Harry.

"Yeah, that's probably a good idea. I'll see you out." Harry said, thinking of all the things Draco might want to do to Ron if he found out the truth.

Draco picked up that he was missing something. "We're not leaving yet." It didn't sound like it was up for discussion. "Maybe I need to have a talk with Weasley?"

Hermione and Harry both replied at the same time "NO!"

"Excuse me," Draco said as he stepped past both of them. Harry stuck his arm out to stop Draco and wouldn't budge. "Are we going to have a problem here Potter?" he asked in a dangerous tone.

The photographer from the Prophet came up again and Hermione got close to him before he took another picture. "If you snap another picture so help me!"

The photographer backed away and went back to stand next to Rita who was watching the whole conversation with a twisted smile.

Hermione reached up and placed her hand on Draco's face as she looked into his eyes. "Can we please just go," she pleaded with him.

Draco faltered and put his arm around Hermione. He stroked her hair and held her close to him and she laid her head down on his chest. Hermione saw the light from the photographer flash from farther away but saw her and Draco were still the subjects.

"Don't worry Hermione, this pose will be too nice to have in the prophet, there's no chance of them printing it." Draco muttered.

Hermione sighed.

"Let's go," he lightly released his grip on her and grabbed her hand. With his other hand he put his fingers under her chin and looked into her eyes. "Did you at least have a fun evening?" he asked with a soft tone.

"Yeah," she replied.

"You're a terrible liar Hermione," he replied.

She laughed and they walked out holding hands, two young lovers all dressed up with nowhere to go. A moment later Harry heard two loud pops that had let him know that her and Draco were gone.

They arrived in Hogsmead and it was colder than what the ballroom at the ministry had been. Hermione's hair was blowing in the wind and she used her hand to hold it in place unsuccessfully a few times. "I don't want to go back yet, want to do something else?"

"What did you have in mind?" Draco asked, intrigued.

"Hold my hand, I'm going to apparate us both," she held out her hand and he placed his in hers, smiling, and the loud pops happened again.

When they arrived he had no idea where they were. He was in a house of some sort, it was very dirty and broken down with windows so grimy that he couldn't even see out of them. Several floor boards were broken up and he had to watch his step. He looked over at Hermione and she was smiling, taking in his reaction to being is such a place.

"I'm having fun now," she commented.

"What is this place?" his tone was repulsed. He tried not to move so he didn't get dirt on himself.

"I'll give you a hint…" Hermione smiled at him and walked a step closer. "We're still in Hogsmead," she said as she raised her eyebrows.

"in Hogsmead? What area of Hogsmead has a derelict shack…" he stopped. "No, we're not, in the shrieking shack?" He asked with a disgusted sneer.

"Oh Draco, live a little!" Hermione teased.

"I was, we just had a high class party, but you would rather leave that to come to a place like this?" He didn't sound angry, just surprised.

"Absolutely," she said in a resolute tone, her hands now on her hips.

He smiled at her and reached out his hand. "Come here," he said as he pulled her into a hug. "You're so odd sometimes, but I adore you."

"I know you do," she said as she got on her tippy toes to kiss him on the cheek.

"I didn't get to dance with you as much as I wanted to…" he admitted.

Hermione pointed to an area of the room they were in and transfigured something into a radio. She began to magically tune the dials until she found a station.

"That's a particularly good bit of transfiguration," he said, impressed.

"Thank you for that assessment Mr. Malfoy," She said in an impression of Professor McGonigal and then started laughing.

"Never do that again," he laughed as well. "I suppose I sound like Professor Snape sometimes." He looked at her for an answer.

"Sometimes, but not very often. We've learned a lot from them, it makes sense."

"Yeah, I guess you're right." He said as Hermione had found a station.

She walked up to Draco and he placed his hands on her hips and moved them slightly lower.

"See, isn't this nice?" she commented and then pulled closer to his ear. "You wouldn't go down as far as you wanted to at a stuffy party…"

"Who says this is as far as I want to go?" he returned, his voice a bit deeper than before.

She smirked and placed her arms around his neck and took in the moment, just being together after everything that had happened.

"Are you ready to tell me why you wanted to leave?" Draco broke the silence.

Hermione pulled back slightly and stopped dancing. She knew Draco would be angry. It was moments like these when she didn't want to tell him things but she also didn't want him to read about it in the paper. "Draco, when I was dancing with Ron he…he kissed me, and that's why I slapped him."

Draco let go of her and he balled up his fists. He walked over to a wall and punched it a few times. He knew Ron's character too well to doubt what Hermione was telling him. He was beyond angry and wanted to head back to the ministry to teach him a lesson. "Why didn't you tell me?" he asked, now angry with her.

"Why didn't I tell you?" she asked, incredulous. "Maybe I didn't want you to beat him up Draco!"

"So you still have feelings for him?" He spat at her.

"No, I don't want to see you lose everything you've worked for on someone who isn't worth it! What do you think would happen to you if you reacted? No matter what Ron does, he's the one who helped take down Voldemort and can do no wrong. You won't be given a second chance if you do something wrong, it's too risky." She was angry that Draco could accuse her of having feelings for Ron.

Draco gave her a hard, cold stare and a moment later he apparated without another word to Hermione and was gone. Hurt, she grabbed the wall and eased herself down to the floor and sobbed.

Several hours later Hermione realized she had fallen asleep crying inside the shrieking shack. She had never intended on falling asleep and was still in her dress from the night before. Draco had never returned and by the position of the sun she could tell it was only about five or six or so in the morning.

"I did the right thing," she thought to herself, "especially with the Minister of Magic and the Prophet right there." She felt that she didn't do anything to warrant Ron's advances and that it wasn't fair that Draco was upset with her. "I'm not going back to the apartment, if he wants to see me, he knows where to find me," she reasoned.

She stood up and hit the dust off her clothes. "What am I doing? I should just use my wand. Muggle moment," she joked to herself. With her wand pointed at her dress she did the spell to rid it of dirt and dust. She then turned her wand on different areas of the house and did the same thing. She had flashbacks of cleaning Grimmauld place with Harry and Ron. It made her angry to think of Ron right now.

The wall paper was peeling off the wall in several spots and she was too upset to feel hungry and stop for a break. Before she knew it, she had worked all day and it was around 5pm. She pointed to the dilapidated couch and transfigured it into a nicer one and sat down to rest, then passed off to sleep again. She woke up only a few hours later feeling extremely hungry so she decided to apparate to Hogsmead to get something to eat.

It felt weird to be walking down the street alone and without Draco. He was always with her, making her laugh or talking to her. His absence made her realize how lonely she was without him, her best friend, at her side.

She pulled into a café and ordered a bowl of soup and a few rolls. It was just what she needed to get her energy up. She wrapped up the remaining rolls for breakfast the next day and headed out. Instead of heading back to the shack, she decided to walk around the town a little more and take in just how beautiful it was in the fall. She walked over a bridge and gazed into the water, watching as leaves fell and hit the surface of the lake, causing tiny ripples.

She imagined what the shack could be like if someone really dedicated the time to make it look nice. The structure of the house seemed good, but a practical entrance and exit really needed to be figured out. When she was done watching the water she apparated so she could get back to work. When she was back inside the house she almost felt like she could smell Draco, but he wasn't there. The thought started to depress her and working on the house helped her to keep her mind off of him. After all, the weekend had just started and she now had nothing better to do.

After the night's worth of work she managed to clean up the front room to the place and some of the surrounding rooms on the first floor. There were still a few bedrooms in the upstairs that she got to the next day. By Sunday evening the house was at least clean but was still very tattered. She decided it was time to head back into the castle and get cleaned up so she was ready for lessons the next day.

When she got into the castle she received a few off color looks from some of the students and staff, most had probably never seen her in a muggle dress before. She walked to the portrait hole and then to her and Draco's apartment and then opened the door.

Draco was inside pacing the front room. He stared at Hermione in shock and she looked away from him and walked towards the bedroom.

"Hermione? I've been looking everywhere for you! Where have you been?" he didn't hide his shock well.

"Oh, I was where you left me Draco." She replied softly and continued on to the bedroom, still hurt.

"I shouldn't have left like that. I was mad, but, it's alright now." He admitted.

"Alright? You must have calmed down quite a bit because I never imagined those words coming from you…" she replied.

"er, maybe you haven't seen the Prophet?" he asked.

"No, I've been working."

"Working?" he asked as he handed her the paper. "Here, take a look at this."

The paper had a front page caption about the event and a picture of Harry between Draco and Ron and a picture of an angry Hermione after she slapped Ron. "Great," she said as she started reading.

"Last night marked a significant milestone in the wizarding world. Our three hero's were acknowledged for their daring deeds that took down the dark lord. But while most of us thought that it was their night to shine, Draco Malfoy turned out to be the biggest star. Under the most trying of circumstances with his fiancé's friends, he was able to keep his cool while a love triangle unfolded right before his eyes."

The article went on to talk about what happened that led to the slap and completely vilified Ron for his behavior toward Hermione. There were even unfair things written about him that she felt Ron didn't deserve at all. By the end of the article Ron looked like a villain and Draco was very much her Knight in shining armor. Harry also was called out for trying harder to protect Ron than standing up for Hermione and his comment about them arguing like this before led Rita to call him an accomplice in Ron's bad behavior. After reading the article Hermione was more hurt than when Draco left, perhaps her friends might hate her now too. Of course, she didn't care too much about how Ron felt about her, he brought this on himself, although she didn't feel it was fair for them to make up other reports just to make him look bad.

Hermione threw the paper down and went into the bathroom to take a shower. When she got out she wrapped the towel around herself and headed to the room and Draco was sitting on the bed waiting for her. She ignored him as she picked out her clothes to get dressed.

"That evening I didn't come back because I was so upset. But the next day I did start looking for you and couldn't find you here, your parents house, the burrow, or Hogsmead. Later in the evening I tried back at the shack and I didn't see you there."

"Wait, you went to the burrow?" she asked.

"Yes, if you can imagine I wasn't well received by Weasley."

"All of them, or just Ron?"

"Just Ron, the others were as cordial as ever. The article had already come out of course and everyone knows his feelings for you and knows he was capable of what happened…we talked about it," Draco said with an uncomfortable look on his face.

"You what?"

"I know what you're thinking, this is crazy. But we just sat down and I told him I knew things in the article weren't true but that he needed to keep his distance from you, and he said that he doesn't want you to marry me and that I've ruined your friendship. I say, fair enough, if allowing you to make your own choice ruins your friendship, then so be it." He was on his feet, explaining the whole affair passionately.

She walked over to Draco while still in the towel and as she approached he got up to hug her. The hug lasted a few moments until she broke away.

"I can't imagine he took that well," she remarked.

Draco shook his head.

"How could you accuse me of having feelings for him? Do you really think that?" She looked into his eyes until he closed them.

"Can I ask you something?" He took a deep breath as he tried to figure out how to word what he wanted to say next.

"Sure," Hermione answered.

"When you came to my house after our…disagreement…in the forest," he started when Hermione cut him off.

"Yeah, the first time you apparated and left me somewhere, I remember," she said in an angry tone.

"When you came to the house, and you saw my ex there, was that comfortable for you?"

"Of course not," She exclaimed.

"And did I ask you to go visit her, and play quittich with her, or invite her to our engagement party?" He pressed without accusation in his tone.

Hermione was starting to see what he was talking about and started to feel deflated a little bit. "No, Draco, you didn't." Her arms dropped to her sides.

"And I didn't because I had moved on. Ron may have been your friend once, but he hasn't been for some time. Whenever we've been around him, I've been around him as your ex, hoping you would see what I do." He tried to explain.

"I didn't even want to go to the ceremony, you're the one who pushed me to go!" Her tone was defensive.

"I don't hold you responsible for what happened. Ron's pushy behavior has finally caught up to him, and there's nothing that would make me not love you Hermione. I know you care about him, and I'm sorry for saying you had feelings for him. If anything, the slap is proof that that isn't true." Draco wondered if she would forgive him for leaving.

"So what should I have done differently?" She asked him, wondering how everything got so out of control.

He stared hard into her eyes. "You couldn't have done anything differently, this wasn't your fault Hermione," he reiterated.

She wished she could make things work out how she wanted them to, but she knew with the way Ron behaved she didn't want to be around him. If he hadn't changed after the several times she had told him no, she had to stop holding out hope that he would be different. She wrapped her arms back around Draco and held onto his neck as tears leaked out of her eyes.

Draco put his arm under her legs to pick her up and carried her to the couch and set her down on his lap, rubbing her back while he hugged her tightly. He pulled her back slightly to look into her eyes and wiped her tears away.

"Potter said the prophet is probably going to be printing on this for a while," Draco added.

"You saw Harry?" she was surprised he hadn't mentioned it sooner.

Draco nodded. "He and I seem to see eye to eye about Weasley for the time being. He told Weasley while I was there that if he ever got too close to you again he would jinx him himself. Whenever Weasley opened his mouth Ginny would tell him off."

It made her feel good that Harry and Draco could agree about something. She wiped her tears from her eyes and was feeling tired. "I don't want to talk about Ron anymore," she wanted to change the subject.

"You've heard what I've been up to, what have you been doing?" He asked as he raised his eyebrows.

"I thought you were going to ask something else…" she muttered with a smirk on her face.

"Like what?" he was confused.

"Like, how you can make it up to me…you know, for leaving me alone in the shrieking shack…" She raised her eyebrows back.

He sighed, in a sweet tone he asked, "Hermione, how can I make this up to you?"

"Draco, that's very thoughtful," she said in a fake sweet simper that reminded him of Pansy Parkinson. "I want you to help me fix up the shrieking shack."

She might as well have asked him to send her to the moon and back. "Hermione, there isn't enough magic to make that place look decent again! And why would you want it fixed anyways?"

"I've been thinking, as we continue to teach and start a family, we'll probably still need to be close to the castle grounds. We could make it perfect." She said in a dreamy tone.

He loved her talking about the future, but this had taken a weird turn. "Hermione, you want to live there?! Seriously?" He was disgusted.

She pulled back from him and prepared to stand up. "You don't have to help me…in fact, I've gotten pretty far already," she said in a haughty tone.

Draco let go of her and let her get up, laughing. "If you mean for me to feel guilty it won't work. I'll help you, but we aren't living there." He ended with a tone of finality.

Hermione peered at him over her shoulder as she headed back to the bedroom and narrowed her eyes at him. "We'll see…" she muttered as she closed the door.


	45. Chapter 45

Ch. 45

The next day at breakfast students whispered as they saw Hermione and Draco sit down in the Great Hall. Most of the student body read the prophet and it was clear that the two teachers would be the subject of gossip for many months to come. When Hermione sat down, she noticed Hagrid coming into the great hall too and he sat down next to her. He didn't always attend mealtimes and most of the time he and Hermione ended up missing one another.

"Professor," Hermione nodded with a smile when he sat down.

"Hiya there Hermione," he said as he gave her a half smile. "Strange things I've been readin in the prophet lately, bout Ron an all…" he mentioned.

She knew he was doing this to get to the truth and gave a big sigh.

Hagrid gave her a sharp look. "Yah don recon most of it is true, do ya?" He whispered, being sure to keep his voice so low that it was barely audible.

"I'm afraid that most of it is Hagrid, at least the parts regarding me." Her voice sounded hurt and Draco picked up on her tone and looked at her. Up until this point he was trying to give Hermione her privacy.

"Nooo," he let out in a disappointed whisper as he shook his head. "Never appreciated ya, problem with him is that he don have no self respect." He placed his hand on Hermione's shoulder.

She started to tear up but did her best to keep her composure and kept her head down.

"It'll be alright Hermione. There's happy things goin on too, ya and professor Malfoy will be gettin married soon afterall." He tried to put a cheery spin on things and was talking louder now.

Hermione looked up and gave Hagrid a smile and patted his hand. Draco smiled to himself as he continued to eat his breakfast.

The headmistress passed lists out to all the teachers. "It's time to start decorating for Halloween again, try to get to these this week as you have time," she announced as she handed the last list out to teachers.

Hermione looked at her list and got the dungeons. "Tsk," she said in a disappointed tone as she tried to see what Draco had. He folded the list over and she didn't get to see it. "What did you get?" she asked.

"You'll never believe this, but I got the shrieking shack," he replied with a serious face.

"…but I didn't think they would decorate that…" she asked with a quizzical look on her face.

"Seriously Hermione? Of course they wouldn't, that was a joke." He started laughing as she got an irritated look on her face. He handed his list over to her so she could read what area he was assigned.

"First floor corridors, better than what I got," she grumbled.

"You got the dungeons! You know I'm going to help you with that, right?" He sounded excited. Hermione smiled and Draco reached out to hold her hand under the table, out of sight of the students.

"Look at the time Draco, we have to get going!" Hermione said as she looked up and noticed that most of the students were leaving the Great Hall for their lessons. She stood up and started to go. "See you at dinner!" she called before she walked away.

As she left Draco felt that he didn't want to be away from her. He set down his napkin as he sighed.

During the next several weeks the teachers decorated the castle. Draco helped Hermione with the dungeons and had fog raising off the floor and bewitched the suits of armor to grab students if they got too close. Likewise, she helped Draco with spider webs and other decorations for the corridors. A few days before Halloween the castle was feeling spooky and after lessons, Hermione and Draco met up on their way to get one another just outside the Great Hall.

"This is lucky," Draco commented.

"Yeah," Hermione smiled as she grabbed Draco's arm and let him lead her into the hall. She had hoped to speak with the headmistress before running into him and knew she would have to wait now until she was alone.

As they ate dinner Hermione was mostly silent. She had been turning over ideas of the shrieking shack in her mind. She didn't share these with Draco because she didn't want to hear his tone.

"Everything alright? You're pretty quiet tonight," Draco remarked.

"Oh, yeah," she replied, coming out of her thoughts.

"What's on your mind?" he asked, like he had so often the last couple of weeks, to no avail.

"Not much, just thinking about details for the wedding." This was partially true, she kept up a regular correspondence with Narcissa where she asked Hermione to make decisions about options for the event. Planning her wedding was exceedingly easy with Narcissa's help.

"Lots to do?" He asked. He knew there was something she wasn't telling him, but couldn't figure out what it was.

Just then Professor Flitwick asked Draco if he could help him with a potion for his lesson the next day.

"I'm sorry I didn't ask sooner, I quite admit it slipped my mind!" he said apologetically.

"Not a problem at all. I can brew that up fairly quickly and have it to you by the end of the night," Draco remarked.

"That soon?" Professor Flitwick said, sounding relieved.

"Certainly," he replied and then looked at Hermione. "I'll be back later, don't feel like you need to wait here for me if you'd like to head back," Draco added kindly to her.

She nodded and took the opportunity to see the headmistress, a seat had opened up next to her at the table. "Minerva, do you mind if I sit here for a few minutes?" Hermione asked.

"Not at all professor, please," she motioned to Hermione to sit down.

"I wanted to ask you about something. Do you think it would be permissible for a teacher to occupy the shrieking shack?"

The headmistress appeared taken aback. "I daresay that anyone who wishes to could occupy it, although I don't see why anyone would want to."

"What do you mean anyone who wishes to?" Hermione clarified.

"Well, after I took over I sold it to a Hogsmead property company. I believe they have been trying to sell the place with no luck. I must admit that I'm not surprised." She added.

Hermione touched her forehead in realizing something. "This is why I was able to aparate inside, you can't do that on Hogwarts grounds," she said aloud but mostly to herself.

The headmistress eyed her but didn't give her any reply.

"I'm just interested in the house is all," Hermione pointed out as she got up. "Thank you and good evening Minerva."

"You're very welcome, good night Professor." She smiled at Hermione as she left.

Hermione made note of the news the headmistress had given her and planned to follow up on that later.

She decided to walk down to the dungeons to see if Draco had finished, excited by this fresh bit of news that she couldn't tell him. When she approached the classroom she could hear Flitwick and Draco quietly talking and decided to wait before entering.

"To be honest, with your reputation I'm surprised Mr. Weasley had kissed her at all," Flitwick said.

"Past reputation," Draco sighed, "Professor," he added to keep the note of respect for his colleague.

"I noticed that even while they went to school here, he never seemed very nice to her, but on the other hand neither did you…" Flitwick just appeared to be thinking out loud.

Hermione wondered if this was a side to the teacher she hadn't seen yet, did he always give his opinion so freely in other people's personal affairs?

"But then again, when you're the brightest student you're bound to make enemies!" he proclaimed.

"Yes, I suppose that's true," Draco answered rigidly.

"So tell me," he began when Hermione entered the room and Flitwick stopped. "Ms. Granger!" he said in a tone that showed he was happy to see her.

"Professor, I hope I'm not interrupting?" She asked politely.

"No, no, not at all." He said as he waited on Draco.

"Alright. Draco, I was hoping we could talk about what plates to use for the wedding. I like this one pattern but I also like another, and I don't know what to choose. It's not exactly urgent…but I'm having a dilemma," she half smiled as she finished her sentence as Flitwick looked back and forth between her and Draco.

"Maybe I better excuse myself? You wouldn't mind dropping these off in my classroom, would you?" He was eager to escape the conversation.

Hermione gave Flitwick a sad look and Draco tried to save face. "This might take a while to sort out, but I wouldn't mind dropping them off. It could take a few hours for us to get to the bottom of this…" Draco added.

"I won't keep you, have a wonderful evening you two." Flitwick added as he left the dungeon.

After he was gone Draco used magic to shut the door after him so they could be alone. "Thank you! I didn't know how much more I could take," he said to Hermione as he took turns stirring different caldrons.

"So, what kind of plates do you want?" She asked with a straight face. His eyebrows perked up, not believing that she was serious when she cracked a smile and let out a laugh. "I don't think he intentionally meant to make you uncomfortable."

"Nor do I," he replied as he waved her to come closer to him. She stepped right up to him and laid her head on his chest and then looked up at him.

"There's that beautiful smile," he said to her as he continued to stir. "These are almost done…"

Hermione let go of him and went to sit down and watch him as he worked. She marveled as he produced potions using methods that she had never considered before. When he was done he poured the potion into bottles and corked them. He looked over at Hermione and winked.

"You're such a show off Draco, you know that right?" she asked playfully.

"Hmmm, sounds like you're jealous because I know some short cuts that you don't," He said as he smirked at her.

"You think so?" She gave him a skeptical look as he got closer to her and lifted her chin with his fingers.

"I do," he said as he leaned in and kissed her.

"Mmmm," she said as they broke apart, "you're not supposed to say that until the wedding."

"I can say it anytime," he smiled at her and then kept the hold on her as he dipped her and kissed her again. He pulled her back up and went to lean in to kiss her again when she stopped him.

"Not here," she whispered.

Draco lightly brushed her cheek and moved her hair behind her ear. "I better drop these off for Flitwick, meet me back at the room?"

Hermione nodded and grabbed Draco's free hand and they walked out of the dungeons together until finally splitting to go their separate ways.


	46. Chapter 46

Ch. 46

The next day lessons went off as they should for the last day of the week. Hermione went to the dungeons to get Draco and noticed his classroom was dark and that he was nowhere to be found. She went back up to the great hall and didn't see him either, so she went to check their room. He wasn't there either so she headed back to the great hall. She took her seat without him and ate her dinner in silence as the rest of the students finished theirs and headed out of the hall. When she finished she decided to just wait for Draco in the room, but before she could get up, Draco entered the great hall. There were only a few more teachers left at the table as he walked up and kissed Hermione on the forehead and sat next to her. He was wearing his traveling cloak and both it and his hair were drenched with rain.

"Where were you?" She asked, wondering if he had been out on the grounds with the weather they were experiencing.

"Just out in the gardens getting some ingredients for some potions."

"Potion orders for St. Mungo's or for class?" she asked, trying to make conversation.

"For St. Mungo's," he said sharply as he looked away.

Hermione wondered what the change in tone was for and gave him an odd look before she dropped the subject. "I have some errands to run tomorrow in the village, but when I get back do you want to help me decorate the dungeons?"

"What?" he asked, he hadn't been paying attention.

"You seem really distracted Draco, do you want to talk about it?" she felt she already knew the answer.

"No!" he said a little defensively which caused her to raise her eyebrows. "Sorry," he said as he reached out to rub his hand on her back. "I just have a lot on my mind and I'm not ready to talk about it yet," he explained.

By this point all the students were gone and the last professor had just left the table, leaving them in the Great Hall alone.

"I supposed we better get going," Hermione said as Draco nearly finished his food. She wondered if they were starting to drift apart and the sadness showed on her voice.

Draco picked up on her tone and looked over to see her frowning slightly. He'd be ready to tell her soon, but he wasn't ready yet.

They walked in silence as they got to their place and once inside Draco offered to make Hermione a cup of tea to help break the ice.

"That's alright Draco, I'm actually pretty tired," she returned as she headed into the bedroom alone.

Draco sighed. He wasn't used to keeping things from Hermione, but he had a really good reason. He would have to work harder to disguise his feelings. He wasn't sure if Hermione didn't want him in the room with her, but decided to go in and try anyways.

He got pajamas on and pulled back the covers and laid down next to her, then wrapped his arms around her and pulled her in close. She was still awake and reached up to rub her hand on his cheek. He put one of his hands overtop hers, holding it to his face, and then pulled it down to kiss it.

"I love you Hermione," he whispered. "I'm sorry about tonight, but I just need you to trust me okay?"

He could feel her nodding her head. "I do trust you Draco," she whispered back.

Draco leaned down and lifted her chin up and kissed her gently on the lips. She felt her heart leap in her chest as she surrendered to him.

While it was early morning Hermione got dressed before Draco woke up and prepared to start her day. She had forgiven Draco for his odd behavior the day before, but regardless, had something that she felt she needed to do alone.

She quietly left their apartment and went by the kitchens to grab a hot tea before she set out. It was so early that there weren't many people out on the road but a few businesses were opening up for the day. She went into a quaint shop that had pictures of houses and land in the windows; Hogsmeade Property Management and Investments was written on the door.

A tall and skinny wizard with black hair greeted her as soon as she walked into the shop. "Good morning miss, how can I help you?" His smile matched those of muggle sales people that she had come into contact with before.

"I was hoping to get information on one of your properties, I heard it might be for sale?"

"Certainly!" The man replied. "Right this way. My name is Luke and we have plenty of listings at the moment." He motioned her to follow him down a hall to his office. There were piles of papers in the corners and on the shelves, he didn't appear very organized. He motioned for her to sit. "Here's a few listings that might catch your eye!" he said as he had several pages fly near Hermione. It was a little too overwhelming.

"Excuse me," she called out, irritation present in her tone. "I'm looking for something a little more specific."

Luke stopped in mid sales pitch. "Oh, okay, what did you have in mind?" He asked.

"I heard that this agency owns the Shrieking Shack, the one near Hogwarts?"

He deflated the rest of the way. He could see that he wasn't going to make much money off of Hermione and became a little less friendly in his approach. "There's been a lot of interest in that place lately," he remarked, wondering why anyone would be interested in that property.

"Is it true that it's for sale?" She pushed.

"It just sold, but I have other properties that are similar to it," he lied. "Are you looking for a fixer upper?"

Hermione looked crestfallen. She had really intended to buy the property. She stood up and prepared to leave, feeling dejected.

Luke started scrambling through pages again. "Here's a few that are just land, you can build any kind of place you want on these!" he tried one last ditch effort to get her business.

Then it hit her, maybe she could make an offer to the current owner! "Luke, do you think I could get the name of the owner, talk with them directly?"

He looked at her a little skeptically. "I'll go check." He left the room and she could hear him talking in hushed voices to someone in another room. As quickly as he left he returned with a frown. "I'm sorry, but the owner preferred to remain anonymous, they said under no circumstances were we to release their names." He paused and then he added, "Might be a secret keeper type of transaction, I'm not sure though."

Hermione nodded, "Thank you," she said as she left the office. She felt a tear rolling down her cheek. As she walked down the street she decided to hop into the three broomsticks and grab a butter beer while she thought about things. She sat there for about two hours as she read the prophet and had a few drinks. Of course, she could always count on more Rita Skeeter articles about the triangle between her, Draco, and Ron. She noticed she was starting to feel drunk and didn't feel it was best to remain in the bar and that she should try to get back to her apartment.

She left the three broomsticks and held herself well as she walked back to the school. On her way she stopped to take in the view of the Shrieking Shack, wondering who on earth could have bought it. She wanted so badly to apperate inside or to make contact with the current owner. She wiped away more tears that rolled down her cheeks.

When she made it back to the apartment Draco was awake and sitting on the couch reading a book. He took one look at Hermione and shot up from the couch. "Hermione, what's the matter?" he asked as he gave her a concerned look.

"I have some good news for you Draco," she said in a hurt tone as she turned away from him to take off her coat and her hair hid her face. "You don't have to worry about my wanting to fix up the shrieking shack and moving there. It appears that someone already owns it."

"Really?" he sounded shocked.

Hermione felt more tears roll down her cheeks.

"But Hermione, are you truly that upset about it? I thought it was just a place you liked, not one you actually wanted to live in?"

She steadied herself on the wall and turned around to look at Draco. She used her arm to wipe the tears from her face. "I hadn't considered it seriously until I started to pick it up. I just kept imagining how perfect it would be to live on school grounds but with some distance and how we could raise children here. I just got used to the idea." More tears spilled out and she wiped them away.

"Are you, have you been drinking Hermione?" He noticed her holding the wall and the smell on her breath, as well as how emotional she was.

"I stopped by the Three Broom Sticks on the way back…Is it that obvious?" She became aware of her countenance for the first time since leaving that morning.

"It's only nine in the morning and you're three sheets to the wind!" His tone sounded judgmental. 'This isn't like her at all,' Draco thought.

Hermione didn't answer his comment and walked herself down the wall by holding on until she got to the couch.

Draco watched her and then went into the kitchen to make her a cup of tea. Once he was done and came back out he set the tray down in front of her and found her asleep on the couch. He decided to seize this opportunity to see what he could do, wrote a quick note for Hermione that he would be back, and grabbed his cloak and left.

He walked briskly to Hogsmeade village to the familiar Property Management Company. He didn't imagine he would have come back quite so soon. Once inside he met Luke who instantly recognized him.

"Mr. Malfoy, welcome back! I didn't think I'd be seeing you until after the new year, but then again, I didn't think that I'd be seeing your fiancé quite so soon either."

"Yes, I'm actually here about that." Draco began. "Did she ask who bought it?"

"She did! But we told her the buyer was anonymous." He commented.

"Then she doesn't know that I bought it?" Draco double checked.

"She has no idea, she seemed quite distraught actually." Luke remembered her reaction and how she had started crying and quickly left.

"I have an idea that I wondered if you could help me with," Draco began.

"Sure, anything for the guy who took that shack off our hands! What can I help you with?"

Hermione woke up and saw a tea tray next to her. On it was a note written by Draco saying that he would be back. The tea felt tepid so she guessed it might have been there for a little bit. "That's very sweet," she thought. Her thoughts came around to the events of the morning and she felt upset all over again, but was starting to accept the eventuality of what had happened. She sipped her tea as she sat there and thought about what had happened and processed her feelings.

When Draco came back he was happy to see Hermione sitting up drinking her tea and in what appeared to be better spirits than earlier.

"Draco," Hermione set down her tea and started to sit up.

"Please just relax," he whispered to her.

"I'm sorry about earlier, I shouldn't have said what I did to you. I know it doesn't make you happy when I'm unhappy." She began.

He just stared at her for a minute, not sure what to say. "I'm sorry too. If I had known how much it meant to you, I would have tried to help you secure it." His tone sounded disappointed.

"Don't be upset Draco, I'm sure it will be fine. We'll figure something else out." She said in an equally disappointed tone.

He sat down next to her and rubbed her back.

"Were you out gathering more potion ingredients?" Hermione asked in a skeptical tone.

"What?" her question caught him off guard. "No," he laughed lightly thinking of last night, and how he had blamed his absence on this task. He had actually been at the Property Company making a purchase and was glad he hadn't put it off for one more day.

"I missed the joke…" Hermione continued her tone of skepticism.

"Yesterday when I was collecting ingredients I found a student from my house outside on the edge of the forbidden forest. That's why I was upset," he lied flawlessly.

"Oh," understanding dawned on her features. "That's terrible, I'm sorry Draco."

"I actually just got back from the property company. They refused to give me the name of the seller so I asked them to make contact and let the buyer know I would pay double what they paid."

Hermione froze. "Draco…you did that?"

He avoided her gaze as he nodded his head.

"But we probably can't afford that on our salaries!"

"Relax Hermione, I'm from one of the oldest and wealthiest wizarding families, remember?" He said, knowing how she would feel about taking money from his pure blood lineage.

"Oh, I forgot about that…" she said honestly. "But still Draco, that's quite an offer for a house you don't want to live in." She marveled at him.

"I may not like the place, but I love you, and want you to be happy." He said as he leaned in to kiss her forehead.

"As long as we're together I'll always be happy," She returned. "And even though you have family money, I don't believe we should rely on that in our lives together. I don't expect that Draco and I don't want it." She hoped her comment wouldn't be taken the wrong way.

All through school most girls that liked him always seemed to be interested in status. They seemed to look at Draco and his wealth as a way to get status, and to be honest he flaunted his wealth so that's exactly the kind of girls that he attracted. He liked how Hermione wasn't like that. He pulled her into a hug and leaned back holding her so they were laying down together. She gave him just the response he expected her to give.

"How about later today, maybe before dinner, we go and get decorating?" He wanted to cheer her up.

She looked up at him with a faint smile, "I'd love that," she returned and laid her head down on his chest.

As promised, Draco helped her decorate that afternoon. They started in the dungeons and made a few areas appear a little foggy and strung webs everywhere.

"I have an idea, what about a boggart?" Draco's eyes were wide with excitement.

"Draco! We can't do that, they don't learn _ridiculous_ until 4th year!" Her hands were on her hips.

"Oh alright," he said slightly disappointed as he laughed at her reaction.

They continued to decorate and then moved up to the corridors that Draco was assigned. Hermione did well in that space and added pumpkins and fake spiders, while Draco put up bats that would fly down the hall.

"Those are creepy," Hermione pointed at the bats. "Nice work."

"Hermione Granger is complimenting me!" he said as he smirked at her.

"I've complimented you lots of times!" She smiled at him, wondering what he meant.

"All this is making me think about last year. This time last year we weren't together, in fact, we hadn't admitted our feelings for one another…until you hit your head…"

Hermione started to blush.

"And now you're blushing, that's cute." He continued to smile at her.

She turned another shade of red. "I heard something last year as I woke up. Poppy was saying that you wouldn't leave my bedside. I knew when I heard that what that must have meant." She hadn't mentioned to Draco that she knew his actions while she had been out with the concussion.

Draco was turning red for a change.

"Looks like you're blushing too.

Draco came up towards Hermione and reached out to hug her, but at the last minute started tickling her instead. After a moment she caught him by surprise and crashed her lips onto his. He stayed there kissing her for a few seconds until they heard footsteps and broke apart. Students were getting ready to come into the great hall for dinner.

"I supposed we better head that way too," Draco pointed out.

Hermione slipped her hand into his and smiled at him as they walked to the great hall.

When they sat down a post owl had come in with a message for Draco. Hermione just looked at him.

"It's odd that it would come at this time of day, who is it from?" she asked.

"I don't know, I don't recognize the writing…" Draco took the message and gave the bird a treat before it flew off.

Draco slowly opened the envelope, it was on stationary from the property company. He put the letter between Hermione and himself so they could read it together. He noticed she seemed to be holding her breath.

Dear Mr. Malfoy,

As it happens the owner of the property was by today to finish documents from the purchase of the property you inquired about. We mentioned the proposal you had and we are sorry to inform you that the owner was not interested. The owner did however notice the changes made to the property in the last several weeks and felt that these changes would increase the value at a later date. They did want to inquire if you would be interested in working on the house to improve it how you see fit and would pay you for your time and materials.

The buyer still wishes to remain anonymous but asked for any communication to come through our office. Please reply if you are interested.

Sincerely,

Luke Maddox

Hogsmead Property Management and Investments

Draco watched as Hermione read the letter, wondering what she was thinking. Her chest was heaving and he set the letter down and started eating, giving no indication about how he felt.

Hermione looked over at Draco, and while he was aware that she was watching him, he continued to look ahead or at his food with an unreadable expression.

"Draco," she whispered and he looked over at her. "I can see that you're upset that they turned down your offer, but it might be fun to fix the place up. Even if it can't be ours, at least changing it will be a good memory."

"I don't know Hermione…doesn't this seem like an odd request to you?" he continued to eat his dinner as he did his best to look pensive about the situation.

"Yeah, a little. But I don't mind." She was still looking at him intently.

He sighed and looked at her again. "If you want to then I'll answer the letter." He pretended to leave it up to her.

She nodded her head, as he knew she would, and he began to write the response. "We can drop this by the owlery tonight."

Hermione nodded her head again and began to eat with a smile on her face.

Over the course of the next week Hermione and Draco got started with ideas for how to make the shack look better in their free time in between lessons and in the evening. The first weekend, everything on the list that they sent to the property company was delivered to the house and ready for them to start.

Between planning the wedding, planning lessons, and planning changes to the house, Draco was exhausted. Hermione on the other hand was in her element juggling these multiple projects.

"I don't know how you're doing so well with all these things going on," Draco commented one night at dinner.

Hermione shrugged her shoulders.

"Anyways, I'm getting ready to make another list for the company, what other things do you think we need to start on with the house?" he asked.

"I just wonder, should we make it up the way we like it, or in a way we think someone else would? It's kind of hard to know when we don't know the tastes of the people who will live there."

"They asked us, so we should make things look how we like them. We both have great taste Hermione…" He liked the way they had settled on the look of the apartment.

She seemed satisfied with his comment and smiled back at him.

The following evening more things were delivered. After dinner most evenings Hermione went to the shack to work and Draco would join her there to help out. There weren't too many changes to make to the structure other than strengthening the foundation and creating a path to the front door. Draco worked hard the first week to build up under the house so that it could easily support a yard and garden, and connected the house to the grounds of the school without causing someone to risk getting hit by the whomping willow or cause them to crawl through mud. He finished off the outside by putting a white picket fence around the front of the house, and large bushes that blocked outside view of the yard from the village as well as doing a spell to keep people from getting in without permission.

While he did that, Hermione matched colors and flooring to the rooms and using magic made things go way faster than if a muggle had done the job. Every room had a different look and feel to it, but they all went together to compliment the flow of the house. The finer details would take them more time to sort out.

While balancing this activity they still had to think about moving along with their responsibilities as heads of houses. Before they knew it, Halloween had come and they were preparing the houses and the school for the dance.

"Will you go to the dance with me as my date Hermione?" Draco made sure to ask Hermione to be his date this year since he hadn't last year and missed out on the first few dances with her.

She giggled and then answered him. "Yes, of course I'll be your date!"

He was already dressed for the Halloween dance and needed to head down to chaperone.

"Meet me there?" he asked.

"Yes, I just need to get ready first." She said as he left.

She picked out a dress she bought for the party. It was Slytherin green, Draco was sure to love it on her. She pulled her hair up and pinned it so that her neck was exposed and she put on a black choker. After a few minutes of doing her make-up she put on her heels and headed out to see Draco.

When she got into the great hall she greeted the students and most of them did double takes at her. "Professor Granger?!" a few students said in shock.

Hermione looked around and saw Draco who was walking towards her from across the room. She could tell he couldn't keep his eyes off her body.

"Can I have this dance Professor?" he asked in a husky voice.

"Certainly Professor," she said in an encouraging tone.

He draped his arm around her delicate frame and led her to the floor; as the music started he began to move with her. "You look absolutely radiant Hermione, I love the green by the way," he said as he started at her hungrily.

"That's why I got it Draco…" she said as she giggled. "Glad it had the intended effect."

"This is torture for me, I want to kiss you so badly but the dance just started and there are students around."

"I guess you'll just have to keep busy dancing with me." Hermione offered when Draco smiled.

They broke apart only a few times to talk to members of their own houses when issues arose, but other than that it was a quiet evening. It was the most she had ever gotten to dance with Draco without interruption.

When the night was over they headed back to their place together.

"I can't believe it's only about two months until we get married!" Hermione remarked while she took her heels off.

"I can't believe how tall those heels make you look!" Draco remarked.

"ha ha Draco. Very funny," she chided.

He scooped her up in his arms and walked her over to the couch. "I can't hold back anymore, you had my attention all night."

She giggled again and kissed him on the cheek. He bent his head down and kissed her neck. When he laid her down he kept his arms wrapped around her and kissed her a few more times.

"In two short months you'll be my wife Hermione," he whispered into her ear. "And then we won't have to hold ourselves back like we do now."

She started to work her dress down onto her shoulders and he started to blush and put her dress back in place as she frowned.

"We've waited this long…" he tried to explain.

"I guess you're right. Two months seems so far away right now though."

"Believe me, it will be here before we know it." He said as he pulled her back and kissed her on the forehead.


	47. Chapter 47

Ch. 47

They spent the next couple of weeks focusing on lessons and finalizing details for their wedding. When they had time they finished any updates to the house. Quittich was in full swing and there was the big game of Gryffindor against Slytherin. So far the houses weren't too far apart in their points, which is why the quittich match was so important.

"Have you actually watched your team this year Hermione?" Draco asked her at breakfast one morning.

"I know what you're trying to do Draco, and it won't work," she replied with a smirk on her face.

"Worst quittich team I ever saw. I just don't want you to be disappointed when Slytherin wins. You know how I hate to see you sad." He said in a sad tone.

She glowered at him while he continued to eat his breakfast.

"We will see, Draco, we will see." Regardless of what he said she still had faith that Gryffindor would do just fine, and could even win the match, if they found the snitch in time. One thing that Draco said that was true is that the team truly wasn't that great. But in her mind only one player had to end the game, the odds could be 50-50 either way.

"I guess we shall…" he bragged.

The game was a week away and every moment between them was spent like this until the day finally arrived.

The morning of the game Draco woke up before Hermione and got the tea ready for her. When she woke up and came out of the room she saw it was ready and thanked Draco.

"That's very sweet of you, thanks," she said as she reached out for her cup.

"I just want you to know that I'll take care of you like this when Gryffindor loses today," he added in a fake sweet voice. When he was like this he reminded Hermione of his father.

"You're nicer than I am, when Gryffindor wins I plan to laugh in your face," she added nonchalantly as she drank her tea.

"I know I'm nicer than you are, hence the tea," Draco added as he got up to get ready and Hermione shrugged his comment off. She grabbed a book to enjoy while she sipped her morning tea.

After about an hour Draco reminded her about the time. "I think we better get ready to head down to the pitch. Did you want me to grab you some tissues?"

"Not unless you might want to use them…" She smiled over at him as she got up from the couch and put her robes on. Draco put his on too. Hermione usually didn't wear wizarding clothes on the weekend but quittich matches were her only exception. She would be sitting in the teachers section with the other teachers and didn't want to appear to be less professional around her colleagues.

They walked down to the pitch holding hands when Professor McGonigal approached them. "We have an urgent situation on our hands. Madam Hootch was unwell this morning and she's just informed me that she will not be officiating the match. Draco, I hate to ask, but would you mind officiating today?"

"Sure thing headmistress," he replied.

"But he's head of Slytherin house," Hermione blurted out as Draco turned to look at her.

"Would you prefer me to ask you?" The headmistress snapped at Hermione. The stands were already filling up and it was sure to be a great game today. With this pressure McGonigal couldn't reschedule the game.

Hermione didn't answer.

"I believe I can be depended on to be fair," Draco said in an offended tone.

"As do I," McGonigal replied as she nodded at Draco and walked back to the pitch.

"That is not what I meant Draco," Hermione tried to save face.

Draco raised his eyebrows at walked off without another word to her in the direction of the pitch.

"Dang it," she said to herself, partly because she had obviously made Draco upset and partly because she really didn't want a Slytherin head of house officiating the match. "Better go find my seat…" She walked up to the stands and sat in between Hagrid and Neville.

"Is this seat taken?" she asked.

"No, go ahead," Neville offered up warmly.

"An where's Draco? Don't often see you two apart." Hagrid pointed out.

"He's going to be the referee today, as it turns out," she shared.

Both Hagrid and Neville looked at Hermione.

"But he's head of the house who's playing," Neville said with outrage, "not that that means anything," he hoped he didn't sound like he was implying anything.

"I completely understand," Hermione said with emphasis as she smiled at him.

"O course yah would, it's Gryffindor tha's playin afterall." Hagrid said in an understanding tone.

"I guess we'll just have to see how he does," Hermione sighed and waited for the game to start when the teams came out onto the field.

The quaffle was hit to the Slytherin team who quickly got the ball down the field and scored their first goal. Hermione had expected that.

There were a few plays where Slytherin players were being rough with the Gryffindor players and it wasn't getting called out. Hermione yelled with the other Gryffindor supporters about the cheap shots taken by the Slytherin team. She swore Draco took a quick glance right at her. She wasn't sure if he really hadn't noticed or if he was ignoring the jabs on purpose.

Slytherin scored another goal and the crowd groaned. The Gryffindor beaters started to be just as rough as the Slytherin players and Draco called a foul on them.

"That's a cheap shot Malfoy! Try being fair!" She heard Neville call out next to her. She had been thinking the same thing and glad that someone said it.

The score creeped up and the game became more intense. Draco did call one foul on Slytherin and Gryffindor was able to get some points on the board for the first time. Hermione felt like putting her head in her hands but had to remind herself to look dignified no matter what.

And when Slytherin was 10 points away from winning and wiping the floor with the Gryffindor team, it finally happened. A Gryffindor player who had gone unnoticed by the Slytherin team, mostly due to their pre-victory attitudes that were apparent from their faces and actions, found the golden snitch and was an arms length away from catching it. Those in the stands who were still watching waited with bated breath to see if the young seeker would make the catch completely uninterrupted. At last, the seeker caught the snitch and the game was over, Gryffindor had won!

Draco was shocked and delayed in announcing the result. He clearly believed his team would win so he hadn't been prepared for this. He landed on the field and announced with a surly look on his face that the golden snitch was caught by Gryffindor who now had won the game. People in the stands jumped up and cheered. Hermione was one of many and other teachers patted her on the back and congratulated her as they left the stands.

"I knew we would win!" she yelled out to Neville and Hagrid who were also cheering loudly.

After the crowd started to clear she made her way off the stands and found Draco waiting for her. She noticed he still seemed surly but even his mood wasn't going to spoil her good mood. Winning by only ten points wouldn't give the house much of a lead in winning the house cup, but for now the game itself was enough. She was determined not to start the conversation with him since she had left him on awkward terms.

Draco cleared his throat. "Have any doubts now as to whether I can be fair or not?"

"Is this really what we're going to discuss Draco?"

"Yes, you insinuated that I might cheat…" he began.

"And you didn't call a lot of fouls on Slytherin team when they were clearly very aggressive."

He gave her an incredulous look. "Being aggressive doesn't mean a foul call is warranted. That's a long time strategy of Slytherin team, when it crosses the line is when it becomes a foul."

"Oh, so the foul called on my beaters was fair?" She felt her face getting warmer.

"Yes, it was!" he replied defensively.

"And when your beaters did the same thing it wasn't a foul?"

"Look Hermione, I appreciate that you're trying to 'learn' about quittich, but I know what I'm doing." He added dismissively. "Are you ready to head back?"

"Why don't you go ahead without me Draco, I'm sure I can 'learn' the way on my own." She added in an angry tone.

Draco sighed. "Why are we fighting Hermione? Didn't Gryffindor win?"

Hermione took a deep breath too. "I didn't want to talk to you about the officiating, because after the win, the truth is that I don't care. I don't feel you were impartial, but" she added to an interruption from Draco, "I think we should just agree to disagree."

"So I can expect no apology from your insinuation about me being unable to remain impartial?" He clarified.

"I'm afraid not." Hermione stood her ground.

"I'd like to walk you back to the castle," he said in a gentle tone that almost startled Hermione. He held out his hand and grabbed it lightly as they walked back up together.

When they got back Hermione told Draco that she was going to check on her house, but he knew she really meant to share in celebrating with them. She had been looking forward to this win after all. Draco decided to go visit his house to try cheer them up or at least be supportive.

When Draco got to the Slytherin common room, morale was low. He told the house that they were sure to beat out the next house; ravenclaw, and have a nearly undefeated record. "We have a strong team, you all played very well today!" He noticed the teams seeker was taking it exceptionally hard. "Don't worry," he encouraged, "the way you played today, I wouldn't be surprised if we win the house cup this year, just keep trying!"

Most of them seemed to cheer up at this, "yeah, he's right," some replied. "You really think we can win the house cup?" others asked.

"I do, in fact, I know it. Keep working hard in lessons and playing quittich like you did today, and before you know it the house cup will be ours!" Draco said to cheers from students.

Hermione on the other hand walked into a party! Music was playing and students were hugging and laughing and there wasn't a person left in the common room who wasn't celebrating. When Hermione walked in there were a few more hoots and hollers coming from the crowd.

"I wanted to be sure to wish you congratulations on your win against Slytherin." She said as more cheers erupted. She put her hand up to quiet the crowd. "However, there is still the matter of the house cup. There are still quittich matches left, and every point will count. Play hard at the next match you have. Best of luck to you all!" The group cheered again and she decided to head out and let them enjoy their win without a teacher around.

As she headed back to her quarters she thought about the disagreement with Draco and decided to let it go and move on. She stopped by the kitchen to get a few butter beers for them to enjoy for the rest of the afternoon.

She walked into the apartment to find Draco napping on the couch. She put the butter beers in the fridge and laid down next to him, and although she didn't think she was tired she started to drift off and get some rest.

A few hours later Draco woke up and realized that Hermione was sleeping next to him on the couch. He slowly and carefully got up without disturbing her. He watched her sleep peacefully for a moment while he thought about her reaction to his officiating the game against Slytherin and wondered if she was just being critical of him because it was Gryffindor, or if she truly felt that way. It did bother him that she had accused him of being partial before he had even officiated the game, it's like she had her mind made up of what she expected to see. He also didn't think it would do much good to discuss this with her since she seemed to be so sensitive about it.

Meanwhile, although she made accusations, he was busy trying to figure out how to surprise her by letting her know about the shrieking shack. Truth be told he had been thinking about how to surprise her the whole game and he knew his mind wasn't on the game when it should have been. He decided he still wasn't ready. He left the room to pen a letter in private and then took it up to the owlery. When he came back Hermione was awake.

She didn't say anything when he walked in but gave him a big smile. "Where did you go?" she asked.

"Oh, just returning a book to the library," he lied as he ran his hand through his hair.

Hermione knew the library was closed. "Oh, okay," she said as she got up and went to the fridge to grab the butter beers and handed one to Draco. "I got these for us earlier today, you know, to celebrate the win," she said as she smirked at him.

It was a bit of a sore spot after all the taunting Draco had been doing. He groaned as he took the butter beer. He knew he was in for a long night.


	48. Chapter 48

Ch. 48

The next day at breakfast Draco got a letter from the property company. He untied the letter and looked over at Hermione, "It's from them," he said as she looked intently at the envelope. "Guess I better open it."

They had nearly completed all the work on the house. Hermione thought doing the work would give her closure, but it actually had the opposite effect on her, she was going to be sad to leave it.

Draco held the letter between them and read it to Hermione quietly:

Dear Mr. Malfoy,

I've been by to see the work you've done and the house looks superb. I appreciate the effort and would like to arrange to meet for your payment January 2nd. I'll be tied up with business before then so I apologize for not being able to come sooner. Please reply to the property company if this is satisfactory.

-Home owner

Draco sat the letter down. "We can't, that's our honeymoon," he offered. "I'm writing back to say no." He pulled out his quill when Hermione stopped him.

"Actually…," she began. "I don't mind, it will only delay us for one day. I think we can manage it."

"Are you serious?"

"Yeah, it's fine." She replied.

"Well, if you're sure?" he said one more time as she nodded her head.

He put the envelope into his cloak and planned to write back later when they were back in their apartment.

"I'm sorry our time working on the shack is finished." Draco said as he looked and her.

"You are? I thought you hated that place!"

"Well, I don't like it, but I know it meant something to you." He put his hand over hers.

"It did, but I think now I'm actually ready to let go." She sounded like she was trying to convince herself.

Draco planned to change the subject. "My parents wrote this morning to ask about our plans for the holidays. Did you want to stay with them?"

"Oh, I suppose we should since we will be doing preparations for the wedding. I can't believe it's so close now."

"It sounds like most of the planning is done?" he wanted to verify.

"Yes, your mother was a wonderful help," Hermione hadn't known much about wizarding marriage traditions.

They both were lost in conversation and were nearly the last ones in the great hall except for a few students.

"Time goes by so fast!" Draco commented.

Hermione got up, "better head back," she said as he followed her. They had light discussion as they walked back to the portrait hole. When they got into their place, Draco closed the door and walked up to Hermione and kissed her passionately and then stopped and walked into the other room. She wasn't aware if she had done or said anything to make him kiss her so sweetly but decided to go into the other room and find out.

The next day, after a long day of teaching Hermione was exhausted. She finished dinner with Draco and still had letters to her friends that she needed to mail out. Trying to finalize holiday plans with her friends, Draco's parents, and her family took a lot of effort.

Carrying her letters, she made her way down to the teacher's quarters and on her way saw Marie Chadwick walking with an unhappy look on her face.

"Evening Marie,"

"Evening," she repeated to Hermione in a dull tone.

"What are you doing out so late?" It was a few hours after dinner but not curfew yet.

She moved the letter she was holding down by her side. "Nothing, I was just going to bed." She replied in the same tone.

She remembered Draco had mentioned her behavior being off just one other time, when he saw her in the owlery. Hermione looked up and down the halls for sight of anyone who might be with her and it was obvious to her that the girl was under the imperious curse. "Alright, have a good evening then," Hermione replied as she turned the corner. As soon as she did she pulled out her wand and cast a disillusionment charm on herself and decided to follow Marie.

She tried to stay a hall behind her at all times so that she wouldn't be seen. Each time she rounded another corner, she kept her wand out in case the girl surprised her. She headed up to the owlery and once inside Hermione hovered just outside the doorway. Marie tied a note to the leg of a school owl and looked over her shoulder before letting the bird fly away. Hermione moved just in time as Marie came out, the girl's shoulder brushing against Hermione's cloak, but she didn't seem to notice. The imperious curse was poorly done compared to what she was used to seeing.

Marie was headed back too quickly and Hermione thought that she might not be able to get the letter and still follow her. "Accio letter," she did a non-verbal spell and the letter shot off the leg of the owl and came right to her, she put it under her cloak and tried to catch up with Marie who was now out of sight, keeping her wand at the ready.

She came to a hallway close to the Slytherin common rooms and caught sight of Marie again. She was walking at a more normal pace now. "Had the curse been lifted?" Hermione wondered. Just then Marie turned around to check behind her again, and with the look on her face Hermione could tell that the curse was still in effect. As Marie neared the portrait by the common room another student called out to her.

"Nice evening, isn't it Marie?" Travis Bones said in a soft tone.

Hermione started to feel sick. Could Travis have used an unforgivable curse on her? She knew he wasn't the best student, but she didn't think he would ever go that far.

"Yeah," she returned, her voice still dull.

"I can tell you don't want to talk to me. I just came to tell you that…I'm sorry for how I treated you. For what it's worth I would like to be your friend, if you want that." Travis's face reddened slightly. Hermione had never heard him apologize before, even though there were many things he probably should have apologized for.

Marie just looked at him blankly and didn't reply. Her whole demeanor was out of character.

"Of course if you're still upset with me, I understand." He said in an uncertain tone.

"Yeah," she returned as the portrait swung open.

"Marie, there you are!" Spencer Octavius stuck out his head and then came out the rest of the way. He was an older boy and very good looking, Travis tried to tighten up his chest when he saw him. "Bones? What are you doing here?" He said in a snide tone as he placed his arm across Marie's shoulders.

"Get your hands off her Octavius, you're the last person she would ever like!" Travis said in a heated tone. Hermione wanted to jump in but felt she wouldn't find out the truth if she did.

"Oh, you're so upset, over a muggle born?" he said as he gave Marie a sideways glance that said in one look that he felt she was insignificant. "Careful Bones, people might think you have a thing for her…"

"Shut up! Marie, how can you put up with this guy?" he shouted. Other students were starting to come out of the portrait hole, wondering what the commotion was.

"Tell him that you like me Marie," he commanded.

"I like him," she said in the same dull tone.

Just then she heard footsteps round the corner and Draco appeared, curfew must have been in effect now. They were out too late.

"What's going on here?" he asked the group. The students who were just around the portrait hole scurried inside so that only Marie, Spencer, and Travis were left.

"You're a long way from the Gryffindor common room, aren't you Mr. Bones?" Draco said in a tone that showed he clearly didn't like Travis, a tone which had no effect on the young Gryffindor.

"Yeah, but something isn't right here, Marie's acting weird and saying she likes him!" He told Draco honestly. Draco shot a glance at Marie and Spencer. Spencer smiled and shrugged his shoulders and Marie gave him a blank look.

"Their personal matters are between themselves Mr. Bones," he said to Travis as the student furrowed his eyebrows and clenched his jaw at the professor. Draco opened his eyes wider and turned to look at Spencer, a trouble maker in his own house.

"And, why are you out past curfew? I doubt you were out here to start with…" he said in the same tone to Spencer.

"I heard him shouting at Marie and I came to make sure she was okay," he said innocently.

"Ms. Chadwick?" Draco began. "You're awfully quiet," he pointed out.

"I was just getting ready for bed," she said in the same dull tone. Draco looked her over for a moment and seemed to notice that something wasn't right. He looked over at Mr. Octavius and Mr. Bones with a scrutinizing look that Hermione thought could cut through steel. She had never seen him look so…Snape-ish.

"Hand me your wands," he said as he held out his hand and held his wand in his other hand.

"Why?" Travis started to argue.

"Now!" Draco yelled, losing his patience.

Travis slammed his wand into Draco's hand and Draco gave him a sharp look again.

"And the both of you, come on!" He said as the others put their wands in his hand.

"Now, you may have these back tomorrow," he said as he heard protests by two of the group. Marie was still silent.

"Everyone will return to their common rooms, except you Ms. Chadwick, I'd like to talk to you for another moment."

Both Spencer and Travis glared each other down as they turned to leave the hall. Once he was alone Draco spoke again to the girl.

"Marie?"

"Yeah," she replied.

"What did you do tonight?"

"I was just getting ready for bed," she repeated the same line from earlier.

"I see, very well." He sat up straight and kept his wand pointed at her from under his robes. "Let's take a walk," he said in a kind tone.

They walked down the same hall that Hermione was hidden in and Draco brushed passed her. She had been waiting for a moment to reveal herself ever since Draco had appeared, but never seemed to find the right moment. He kept walking and Hermione thought that he must not have noticed, but as he walked a few more steps forward, he turned around and cast a spell in her direction. Her body froze and she fell onto the floor, her lip started swelling and she could feel blood on it. He cast a really good petrificus totalus.

He came over to her and used a spell to lift the disillusionment charm from her. "Hermione?" he yelled in shock. He started doing spells to help her move again. She sat up as quickly as she could.

"What are you doing here?" he asked, shocked.

Hermione whispered so that Draco could barely hear her. "Don't take your eyes off of her. I'll get the headmistress."

"I was going to the hospital wing," he whispered back.

Hermione nodded and then got up slowly, looking at Marie. Hermione quickly rounded the corner and was out of sight, wiping the blood from her lip on her sleeve.

She bounded up to the stone gargoyle and said the password for it to jump aside. Once upstairs she knocked on the door.

"Come in," the Headmistress called out.

"Professor, Draco's with Ms. Chadwick from Slytherin house right now, headed in the direction of the hospital wing. We think she's had the imperious curse cast on her."

"Hermione, can you be sure? Are you bleeding?" she said as she stood up and came over to Hermione.

"Yes, I followed her," she began when she was cut off.

"And she did this to you?"

"No, that was Draco," she waived her hand to indicate that her injury wasn't important, but her actions had quite the opposite effect on the headmistress whose face looked livid.

"It wasn't like that," Hermione began as she went into the story of following Marie, the letter she saw her send at the owlery and her weird behavior, and the letters she had been getting for two years.

"And you never thought to bring these letters to my attention? McGonigal said in an angry tone.

"It's like you said at the start of term, that these things might happen. I'm only surprised that we haven't gotten more of them." Hermione answered honestly.

The angry look on McGonigal's face melted and she took a deep breath. "We better go see to Poppy and Draco," she said as she led Hermione out of her office. "Have you looked at the letter yet?" she spoke on her way to the hospital wing.

"No," Hermione said as she looked at the envelope. It was addressed to her. She unfolded the paper and saw the same cut out letters. "I'm certain that a student is doing this and having her write and deliver these." She described the scene outside the Slytherin portrait hole earlier that evening and the behavior of Mr. Bones and Mr. Octavius. "I don't have any proof though," she added.

"Perhaps when Ms. Chadwick wakes up?" the headmistress offered as they entered the wing. She saw that Madame Pomfrey and Draco were already talking in her office and Marie was lying down on a bed, apparently asleep with an empty potion cup sitting on her bedside table.

Draco looked up at Hermione with a guilty look when he saw her and tried to avert his eyes.

"Professor, your lip, you're bleeding," Madame Pomfrey whispered loudly as she approached Hermione with wide eyes.

Hermione wiped her lip off again with her sleeve, although it still looked a bit puffy. "I'll be fine, nothing some dittany can't cure."

"How did this happen?" she asked, the look of concern still on her face.

"Oh, just…" she faltered as she tried to make up an excuse, she didn't want to say that Draco had done it accidentally and cause a scene as she had done in the headmistress's office.

Draco spoke up. "Hermione was under a disillusionment charm and I didn't know who it was and used the petrificus totalus spell to freeze her."

Hermione noticed that Draco had moved closer to her while he spoke, his hand holding hers as he finished.

"This happened when she hit the floor," he said as he lightly brushed her lip with a look of concern on his face. "I'm sorry Hermione."

"It's fine Draco!" she said with slight anger in her voice. "This is the least of my worries after what we've seen tonight," she said as she motioned over at Marie lying in bed.

"But do you know who's done it?" Madame Pomfrey asked Hermione.

Hermione just gave her a piercing stare as if to say she did know and looked at the headmistress for direction.

"Yes, we think so. But Draco and Hermione will still need to conduct a full investigation. We need the details of her illness to be kept for as long as possible Poppy." The headmistress placed her hand on the healer's shoulder.

"Certainly," she replied to the headmistress.

"I can spread a report that she came in after being found after curfew and that she complained of being faint to try to get out of discipline." Draco chimed in.

Hermione smirked at him.

"That should do it Professor," McGonigal nodded at him. "I'm headed off to sleep, unless you need anything else?" She asked the group.

She heard three 'good evening's' before taking back off to her office for the evening.

After a moment Madame Pomfrey went back to her office as well and the two professors were left standing there holding hands.

"Let me walk you back," Draco said as he laid his hand on the lower part of Hermione's back and guided her out of the hospital wing. "Then I'll head to my common room and give the announcement." He was still weary of leaving Hermione alone.

Hermione had been thinking about all that had happened and went to grab some dittany and put some on her lip. He came back about a half an hour later and she watched him as he entered and closed the door.

"How did it go?" she asked, still on edge.

Draco sighed. "Unfortunately, since Marie is the only muggle born in slytherin, it ended up singling her out more. At least I was fortunate enough to get these tonight so there is solid proof that she had the curse cast against her." He pointed to the three wands he confiscated earlier in his robe pocket. "Maybe we can find out the last few spells on these and catch the culprit red handed," he seemed hopeful.

"Draco! That's a great idea! I forgot that you had those!"

He walked over to the farthest part of the room and took out the three wands again and set them down on a table. He took out his wand and began preforming spells on each. "This one," he said as he pointed to the one that was nearly black and very thin, "is Mr. Bone's." Hermione recognized it and knew he was right.

He did a few more spells and nodded at Hermione. "This is Ms. Chadwick's wand, the last spell was for transfiguration, are you covering this advanced of transfiguration?" He gave her a quizzical look.

She nodded her head and smiled.

He shook his head at her in disbelief.

"I want them all to score at N.E.W.T level on their exams!" She tried to explain.

He gave her a hard stare that was neither approving nor disapproving and returned to the third wand. After a few moments he stopped and turned back to Hermione again. "It's all here, and this is Mr. Octavius's wand. Let's see the headmistress in the morning…which should be in about a few hours." He gave her a half smile that quickly faded.

"What is it Draco?"

"I just don't know what would possess a student to do this. When I did it, I was being influenced by the dark Lord, but he appears to be doing this for fun…"

Hermione considered what he said. He had always been perfectly well behaved in her classes and had gotten top marks. Maybe he was like Voldemort, a sociopath? She didn't reply but reached out and rubbed Draco's back.

In the morning Draco found himself being laid on by Hermione who had on a soft knee length nightgown that was pulled up to her stomach. Her skin felt warm and soft and he didn't want to get up, but he knew time was of the essence considering what they had found the night before.

He rubbed Hermione's back to wake her up and she grabbed onto him tighter and continued to sleep. "Hermione," he whispered in her ear and then again when she started to stir. "Morning beautiful," he said as he kept his arms around her.

"Hmmm," she murmured as she got out of bed and went over to her dresser. She started pulling clothes out to get dressed into.

"I guess I better get up too," Draco said as he heaved himself out of bed. A few minutes later he found Hermione in the front room with a cup of tea for him.

"Morning," she said as she looked up at him with cheery exhaustion. He sat down next to her and reached out for the cup of tea.

Draco quickly finished his drink and then stood up and grabbed the three wands on the table. He had his resolve and didn't want to delay the visit to the headmistress. "Ready?"

Hermione stood up, and led the way out the door.

Professor McGonigal had been doing a lot of thinking since seeing Ms. Chadwick's state the night before. She hadn't had a student in one of her houses use an unforgivable curse, so this was uncharted territory for her. She spent most of the morning pacing in her office.

"Is there something wrong Professor," a soft but strong voice called from a portrait above her.

"Good morning Albus…I'm thinking about what course I should take with a student who uses an unforgivable curse. And not just that, one who impurses another to send threatening notes for over a year."

Many of the other previous headmasters reared back in shock. Many could be heard to pass judgement. "Not in my day, not under my leadership!" She didn't care, it was Albus's opinion that she felt she needed.

"It's never easy, is it Minerva?" the voice returned.

"…No, I'm afraid not."

"If it makes you feel better, I used the pace this office in the same way you are now, until inspiration struck me!" He smiled as he looked at her with his half-moon spectacles.

Just then she heard a knock on the door. She shook her head. "Enter," she said as she stood rooted to the spot. Relief washed over her face when she saw it was just Draco and Hermione.

"Draco, Hermione, please have a seat," she called out.

Draco went over to her desk and put the three wands down. She walked over to her desk to see what he was planning.

"Professor, last night Draco was able to get the wands of three students involved." Hermione began.

"Three?! I thought there was only one you suspected?" She said as she focused on Hermione.

"There is only one we suspect, but Travis Bones and Marie Chadwick were also on the scene at the time and had their wands confiscated as well."

"I see, so what is the evidence?"

Draco scooted the offending wand forward. "I've been able to view the last few spells executed by this wand, and the imperious curse was definitely among them. This is the wand belonging to Spencer Octavius of Slytherin house."

Mumblings could be heard from the portraits. "Slytherin, not surprising…"

"Really! That's enough," McGonigal shouted over at previous headmasters.

Several pretended to be sleeping while a few others left their frames.

"And what have you thought of for a punishment?" She hoped he might have a few suggestions.

"Expulsion," Draco uttered. He had never wanted to be in the position to expel a student and it hurt him to say it.

Hermione looked taken aback and looked at the headmistress.

"Well, Hermione, what are your thoughts…"

"I was thinking a suspension and a letter to his parents, as well as detention until Christmas break."

Draco looked at Hermione. "But he impursed a student on and off for a year Hermione! It wasn't like this just happened once. He premeditated what he did and engaged in this act many times. What if his parents commend his actions? Maybe he'll be commended as a hero? Not much of a punishment if you ask me."

"Well it's not much of a punishment to expel him either. That takes him away from probably one of the only places where he is actually exposed to muggles and will be closely watched!

"What if he's the next Dark Lord? Is there any amount of schooling that could help him turn into a decent person?" Draco argued.

"To be honest," Professor McGonigal interjected, "these are the same thoughts I'm mulling over myself."

"You haven't decided on his punishment?" Draco asked.

Professor McGonigal sighed and stood up. "Perhaps you should retrieve him Draco."

Draco gave her a surprised look, "very well," he said as he got up to leave.

The headmistress walked back to the portrait of Dumbledore. "Draco makes a convincing argument Albus. There are other schools of magic."

Dumbledore had a solemn look on his face. "That is true…"

"But it isn't what you would do?" She pressed.

"Dear Minerva, this isn't about what I would do, you are the headmistress now and must chart your own course!"

"You can be so frustrating sometimes…" she replied.

He only continued to smile at her as she turned away from him, her decision made.

Draco reentered only a few moments later with Spencer Octavius and the headmistress transfigured a chair for him to sit in.

"Please have a seat Mr. Octavius." The headmistress said in a somewhat cold voice. "Can you guess our reasons for meeting here today?"

The boy appeared only slightly nervous and then looked down at the headmistress's desk and saw his wand and then swallowed hard. "…yes, I think so." He replied.

"Which is?" McGonigal inquired while staring him down with a hard look.

"I've been using unforgivable curses," he admitted.

"I'll need more detail than that if you plan to remain at Hogwarts Mr. Octavius." She said firmly.

"There's not much more to tell," he said smugly.

Professor McGonigal gave him a threatening smile that put the boy, and the two heads of houses on edge. "I agree, in that case, Mr. Octavius, you are expelled from Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Your belongings will be collected within the hour and you will be returned home via the flu network. The Ministry of Magic will also be alerted to your actions. I hear they keep an annoyingly close watch on those who use unforgivable curses. The safety of the students of Hogwarts is my highest priority, there can be no exceptions."

"But I…I can't be expelled!" He stammered back in disbelief.

"I'll ask you to wait outside while I write to the Minister and your parents," she said as she turned away from him.

Hermione made a movement to stand up.

"A word with each of you if you don't mind," Professor McGonigal asked.

"Sure," Hermione said in a whisper and sat herself back down.

After the boy moved outside McGonigal addressed Hermione. "I can see the decision made you uncomfortable…"

"It's just…I've never seen anyone get expelled before. I don't know that I would have done the same thing." Hermione replied.

"And that's perfectly fine, but I'll appreciate you respecting my decision in this matter," she said in a kind voice.

"I do." Hermione adjusted herself uncomfortably in her chair.

"How are you with the decision Draco?" The headmistress asked.

"Pleased. I couldn't assure my other students safety and couldn't watch him 24 hours a day, I saw no other recourse. If it had only been the one time, maybe then there could have been another choice." He looked at Hermione with a frown. He was sad to lose a member of his house.

"Draco, you would make a fine headmaster one day. Please think about it."

Draco gave her a shocked look but Hermione gave him a half smile. He didn't know what to say as a reply so he just nodded his head.

"Very well, I believe you both should be getting ready to go?" She reminded.

"Oh, yes," Hermione said as she got up and Draco followed her out the door. Once outside they saw Mr. Octavius who had apparently been crying. Hermione tried to comfort him by reaching out and he pulled sharply away.

"Don't touch me you mudblood!" He shouted at Hermione. "I can't believe you are throwing away your pure blood status for this!" he shot at Draco as he motioned toward Hermione.

Hermione was taken aback and looked at Draco, her mouth hanging open. Draco reached out for Hermione's arm and pulled her to him and kissed her hard on the lips she kissed him back and then he broke the kiss.

Draco turned back to the boy sitting there, "I hope you never forget that," he said as he grabbed Hermione's hand in his and walked away.

Within the hour, word of the expulsion had spread around the school. Many students felt so bad for Marie that they went to visit and brought her candy and cards.

By the late evening, Draco received a post owl at dinner. He recognized the green writing on the letter and knew Rita was reaching out for the scoop.

"Doesn't she ever quit?" Draco asked Hermione as he passed her the letter.

"Not likely," she replied as she folded up the letter and set it down. The hall was quieter than usual and Hermione and Draco's involvement had leaked through the whole school. The students were watching them more closely while they were in their company.

Slytherin house had mixed feelings. Most were shocked that Octavius took part in using unforgiveable curses, least of all against a muggleborn from their own house. There were a minor few, mostly his friends, that were quietly supportive of his actions.

In the following week the phrohpet article hit the papers word spread around the wizarding world condemning the actions of the student involved. The school board and headmistress stood together behind their decision and Draco was again listed in the prophet as a hero who intervened for muggle rights and protections, further bolstering his public image.


	49. Chapter 49

Ch. 49

The next day at breakfast Draco got a letter from the property company. He untied the letter and looked over at Hermione, "It's from them," he said as she looked intently at the envelope. "Guess I better open it."

They had nearly completed all the work on the house. Hermione thought doing the work would give her closure, but it actually had the opposite effect on her, she was going to be sad to leave it.

Draco held the letter between them and read it to Hermione quietly:

Dear Mr. Malfoy,

I've been by to see the work you've done and the house looks superb. I appreciate the effort and would like to arrange to meet for your payment January 2nd. I'll be tied up with business before then so I apologize for not being able to come sooner. Please reply to the property company if this is satisfactory.

-Home owner

Draco sat the letter down. "We can't, that's our honeymoon," he offered. "I'm writing back to say no." He pulled out his quill when Hermione stopped him.

"Actually…," she began. "I don't mind, it will only delay us for one day. I think we can manage it."

"Are you serious?"

"Yeah, it's fine." She replied.

"Well, if you're sure?" he said one more time as she nodded her head.

He put the envelope into his cloak and planned to write back later when they were back in their apartment.

"I'm sorry our time working on the shack is finished." Draco said as he looked and her.

"You are? I thought you hated that place!"

"Well, I don't like it, but I know it meant something to you." He put his hand over hers.

"It did, but I think now I'm actually ready to let go." She sounded like she was trying to convince herself.

Draco planned to change the subject. "My parents wrote this morning to ask about our plans for the holidays. Did you want to stay with them?"

"Oh, I suppose we should since we will be doing preparations for the wedding. I can't believe it's so close now."

"It sounds like most of the planning is done?" he wanted to verify.

"Yes, your mother was a wonderful help," Hermione hadn't known much about wizarding marriage traditions.

They both were lost in conversation and were nearly the last ones in the great hall except for a few students.

"Time goes by so fast!" Draco commented.

Hermione got up, "better head back," she said as he followed her. They had light discussion as they walked back to the portrait hole. When they got into their place, Draco closed the door and walked up to Hermione and kissed her passionately and then stopped and walked into the other room. She wasn't aware if she had done or said anything to make him kiss her so sweetly but decided to go into the other room and find out.

The next day, after a long day of teaching Hermione was exhausted. She finished dinner with Draco and still had letters to her friends that she needed to mail out. Trying to finalize holiday plans with her friends, Draco's parents, and her family took a lot of effort.

Carrying her letters, she made her way down to the teacher's quarters and on her way saw Marie Chadwick walking with an unhappy look on her face.

"Evening Marie,"

"Evening," she repeated to Hermione in a dull tone.

"What are you doing out so late?" It was a few hours after dinner but not curfew yet.

She moved the letter she was holding down by her side. "Nothing, I was just going to bed." She replied in the same tone.

She remembered Draco had mentioned her behavior being off just one other time, when he saw her in the owlery. Hermione looked up and down the halls for sight of anyone who might be with her and it was obvious to her that the girl was under the imperious curse. "Alright, have a good evening then," Hermione replied as she turned the corner. As soon as she did she pulled out her wand and cast a disillusionment charm on herself and decided to follow Marie.

She tried to stay a hall behind her at all times so that she wouldn't be seen. Each time she rounded another corner, she kept her wand out in case the girl surprised her. She headed up to the owlery and once inside Hermione hovered just outside the doorway. Marie tied a note to the leg of a school owl and looked over her shoulder before letting the bird fly away. Hermione moved just in time as Marie came out, the girl's shoulder brushing against Hermione's cloak, but she didn't seem to notice. The imperious curse was poorly done compared to what she was used to seeing.

Marie was headed back too quickly and Hermione thought that she might not be able to get the letter and still follow her. "Accio letter," she did a non-verbal spell and the letter shot off the leg of the owl and came right to her, she put it under her cloak and tried to catch up with Marie who was now out of sight, keeping her wand at the ready.

She came to a hallway close to the Slytherin common rooms and caught sight of Marie again. She was walking at a more normal pace now. "Had the curse been lifted?" Hermione wondered. Just then Marie turned around to check behind her again, and with the look on her face Hermione could tell that the curse was still in effect. As Marie neared the portrait by the common room another student called out to her.

"Nice evening, isn't it Marie?" Travis Bones said in a soft tone.

Hermione started to feel sick. Could Travis have used an unforgivable curse on her? She knew he wasn't the best student, but she didn't think he would ever go that far.

"Yeah," she returned, her voice still dull.

"I can tell you don't want to talk to me. I just came to tell you that…I'm sorry for how I treated you. For what it's worth I would like to be your friend, if you want that." Travis's face reddened slightly. Hermione had never heard him apologize before, even though there were many things he probably should have apologized for.

Marie just looked at him blankly and didn't reply. Her whole demeanor was out of character.

"Of course if you're still upset with me, I understand." He said in an uncertain tone.

"Yeah," she returned as the portrait swung open.

"Marie, there you are!" Spencer Octavius stuck out his head and then came out the rest of the way. He was an older boy and very good looking, Travis tried to tighten up his chest when he saw him. "Bones? What are you doing here?" He said in a snide tone as he placed his arm across Marie's shoulders.

"Get your hands off her Octavius, you're the last person she would ever like!" Travis said in a heated tone. Hermione wanted to jump in but felt she wouldn't find out the truth if she did.

"Oh, you're so upset, over a muggle born?" he said as he gave Marie a sideways glance that said in one look that he felt she was insignificant. "Careful Bones, people might think you have a thing for her…"

"Shut up! Marie, how can you put up with this guy?" he shouted. Other students were starting to come out of the portrait hole, wondering what the commotion was.

"Tell him that you like me Marie," he commanded.

"I like him," she said in the same dull tone.

Just then she heard footsteps round the corner and Draco appeared, curfew must have been in effect now. They were out too late.

"What's going on here?" he asked the group. The students who were just around the portrait hole scurried inside so that only Marie, Spencer, and Travis were left.

"You're a long way from the Gryffindor common room, aren't you Mr. Bones?" Draco said in a tone that showed he clearly didn't like Travis, a tone which had no effect on the young Gryffindor.

"Yeah, but something isn't right here, Marie's acting weird and saying she likes him!" He told Draco honestly. Draco shot a glance at Marie and Spencer. Spencer smiled and shrugged his shoulders and Marie gave him a blank look.

"Their personal matters are between themselves Mr. Bones," he said to Travis as the student furrowed his eyebrows and clenched his jaw at the professor. Draco opened his eyes wider and turned to look at Spencer, a trouble maker in his own house.

"And, why are you out past curfew? I doubt you were out here to start with…" he said in the same tone to Spencer.

"I heard him shouting at Marie and I came to make sure she was okay," he said innocently.

"Ms. Chadwick?" Draco began. "You're awfully quiet," he pointed out.

"I was just getting ready for bed," she said in the same dull tone. Draco looked her over for a moment and seemed to notice that something wasn't right. He looked over at Mr. Octavius and Mr. Bones with a scrutinizing look that Hermione thought could cut through steel. She had never seen him look so…Snape-ish.

"Hand me your wands," he said as he held out his hand and held his wand in his other hand.

"Why?" Travis started to argue.

"Now!" Draco yelled, losing his patience.

Travis slammed his wand into Draco's hand and Draco gave him a sharp look again.

"And the both of you, come on!" He said as the others put their wands in his hand.

"Now, you may have these back tomorrow," he said as he heard protests by two of the group. Marie was still silent.

"Everyone will return to their common rooms, except you Ms. Chadwick, I'd like to talk to you for another moment."

Both Spencer and Travis glared each other down as they turned to leave the hall. Once he was alone Draco spoke again to the girl.

"Marie?"

"Yeah," she replied.

"What did you do tonight?"

"I was just getting ready for bed," she repeated the same line from earlier.

"I see, very well." He sat up straight and kept his wand pointed at her from under his robes. "Let's take a walk," he said in a kind tone.

They walked down the same hall that Hermione was hidden in and Draco brushed passed her. She had been waiting for a moment to reveal herself ever since Draco had appeared, but never seemed to find the right moment. He kept walking and Hermione thought that he must not have noticed, but as he walked a few more steps forward, he turned around and cast a spell in her direction. Her body froze and she fell onto the floor, her lip started swelling and she could feel blood on it. He cast a really good petrificus totalus.

He came over to her and used a spell to lift the disillusionment charm from her. "Hermione?" he yelled in shock. He started doing spells to help her move again. She sat up as quickly as she could.

"What are you doing here?" he asked, shocked.

Hermione whispered so that Draco could barely hear her. "Don't take your eyes off of her. I'll get the headmistress."

"I was going to the hospital wing," he whispered back.

Hermione nodded and then got up slowly, looking at Marie. Hermione quickly rounded the corner and was out of sight, wiping the blood from her lip on her sleeve.

She bounded up to the stone gargoyle and said the password for it to jump aside. Once upstairs she knocked on the door.

"Come in," the Headmistress called out.

"Professor, Draco's with Ms. Chadwick from Slytherin house right now, headed in the direction of the hospital wing. We think she's had the imperious curse cast on her."

"Hermione, can you be sure? Are you bleeding?" she said as she stood up and came over to Hermione.

"Yes, I followed her," she began when she was cut off.

"And she did this to you?"

"No, that was Draco," she waived her hand to indicate that her injury wasn't important, but her actions had quite the opposite effect on the headmistress whose face looked livid.

"It wasn't like that," Hermione began as she went into the story of following Marie, the letter she saw her send at the owlery and her weird behavior, and the letters she had been getting for two years.

"And you never thought to bring these letters to my attention? McGonigal said in an angry tone.

"It's like you said at the start of term, that these things might happen. I'm only surprised that we haven't gotten more of them." Hermione answered honestly.

The angry look on McGonigal's face melted and she took a deep breath. "We better go see to Poppy and Draco," she said as she led Hermione out of her office. "Have you looked at the letter yet?" she spoke on her way to the hospital wing.

"No," Hermione said as she looked at the envelope. It was addressed to her. She unfolded the paper and saw the same cut out letters. "I'm certain that a student is doing this and having her write and deliver these." She described the scene outside the Slytherin portrait hole earlier that evening and the behavior of Mr. Bones and Mr. Octavius. "I don't have any proof though," she added.

"Perhaps when Ms. Chadwick wakes up?" the headmistress offered as they entered the wing. She saw that Madame Pomfrey and Draco were already talking in her office and Marie was lying down on a bed, apparently asleep with an empty potion cup sitting on her bedside table.

Draco looked up at Hermione with a guilty look when he saw her and tried to avert his eyes.

"Professor, your lip, you're bleeding," Madame Pomfrey whispered loudly as she approached Hermione with wide eyes.

Hermione wiped her lip off again with her sleeve, although it still looked a bit puffy. "I'll be fine, nothing some dittany can't cure."

"How did this happen?" she asked, the look of concern still on her face.

"Oh, just…" she faltered as she tried to make up an excuse, she didn't want to say that Draco had done it accidentally and cause a scene as she had done in the headmistress's office.

Draco spoke up. "Hermione was under a disillusionment charm and I didn't know who it was and used the petrificus totalus spell to freeze her."

Hermione noticed that Draco had moved closer to her while he spoke, his hand holding hers as he finished.

"This happened when she hit the floor," he said as he lightly brushed her lip with a look of concern on his face. "I'm sorry Hermione."

"It's fine Draco!" she said with slight anger in her voice. "This is the least of my worries after what we've seen tonight," she said as she motioned over at Marie lying in bed.

"But do you know who's done it?" Madame Pomfrey asked Hermione.

Hermione just gave her a piercing stare as if to say she did know and looked at the headmistress for direction.

"Yes, we think so. But Draco and Hermione will still need to conduct a full investigation. We need the details of her illness to be kept for as long as possible Poppy." The headmistress placed her hand on the healer's shoulder.

"Certainly," she replied to the headmistress.

"I can spread a report that she came in after being found after curfew and that she complained of being faint to try to get out of discipline." Draco chimed in.

Hermione smirked at him.

"That should do it Professor," McGonigal nodded at him. "I'm headed off to sleep, unless you need anything else?" She asked the group.

She heard three 'good evening's' before taking back off to her office for the evening.

After a moment Madame Pomfrey went back to her office as well and the two professors were left standing there holding hands.

"Let me walk you back," Draco said as he laid his hand on the lower part of Hermione's back and guided her out of the hospital wing. "Then I'll head to my common room and give the announcement." He was still weary of leaving Hermione alone.

Hermione had been thinking about all that had happened and went to grab some dittany and put some on her lip. He came back about a half an hour later and she watched him as he entered and closed the door.

"How did it go?" she asked, still on edge.

Draco sighed. "Unfortunately, since Marie is the only muggle born in slytherin, it ended up singling her out more. At least I was fortunate enough to get these tonight so there is solid proof that she had the curse cast against her." He pointed to the three wands he confiscated earlier in his robe pocket. "Maybe we can find out the last few spells on these and catch the culprit red handed," he seemed hopeful.

"Draco! That's a great idea! I forgot that you had those!"

He walked over to the farthest part of the room and took out the three wands again and set them down on a table. He took out his wand and began preforming spells on each. "This one," he said as he pointed to the one that was nearly black and very thin, "is Mr. Bone's." Hermione recognized it and knew he was right.

He did a few more spells and nodded at Hermione. "This is Ms. Chadwick's wand, the last spell was for transfiguration, are you covering this advanced of transfiguration?" He gave her a quizzical look.

She nodded her head and smiled.

He shook his head at her in disbelief.

"I want them all to score at N.E.W.T level on their exams!" She tried to explain.

He gave her a hard stare that was neither approving nor disapproving and returned to the third wand. After a few moments he stopped and turned back to Hermione again. "It's all here, and this is Mr. Octavius's wand. Let's see the headmistress in the morning…which should be in about a few hours." He gave her a half smile that quickly faded.

"What is it Draco?"

"I just don't know what would possess a student to do this. When I did it, I was being influenced by the dark Lord, but he appears to be doing this for fun…"

Hermione considered what he said. He had always been perfectly well behaved in her classes and had gotten top marks. Maybe he was like Voldemort, a sociopath? She didn't reply but reached out and rubbed Draco's back.

In the morning Draco found himself being laid on by Hermione who had on a soft knee length nightgown that was pulled up to her stomach. Her skin felt warm and soft and he didn't want to get up, but he knew time was of the essence considering what they had found the night before.

He rubbed Hermione's back to wake her up and she grabbed onto him tighter and continued to sleep. "Hermione," he whispered in her ear and then again when she started to stir. "Morning beautiful," he said as he kept his arms around her.

"Hmmm," she murmured as she got out of bed and went over to her dresser. She started pulling clothes out to get dressed into.

"I guess I better get up too," Draco said as he heaved himself out of bed. A few minutes later he found Hermione in the front room with a cup of tea for him.

"Morning," she said as she looked up at him with cheery exhaustion. He sat down next to her and reached out for the cup of tea.

Draco quickly finished his drink and then stood up and grabbed the three wands on the table. He had his resolve and didn't want to delay the visit to the headmistress. "Ready?"

Hermione stood up, and led the way out the door.


	50. Chapter 50

Ch. 50

Professor McGonigal had been doing a lot of thinking since seeing Ms. Chadwick's state the night before. She hadn't had a student in one of her houses use an unforgivable curse, so this was uncharted territory for her. She spent most of the morning pacing in her office.

"Is there something wrong Professor," a soft but strong voice called from a portrait above her.

"Good morning Albus…I'm thinking about what course I should take with a student who uses an unforgivable curse. And not just that, one who impurses another to send threatening notes for over a year."

Many of the other previous headmasters reared back in shock. Many could be heard to pass judgement. "Not in my day, not under my leadership!" She didn't care, it was Albus's opinion that she felt she needed.

"It's never easy, is it Minerva?" the voice returned.

"…No, I'm afraid not."

"If it makes you feel better, I used the pace this office in the same way you are now, until inspiration struck me!" He smiled as he looked at her with his half-moon spectacles.

Just then she heard a knock on the door. She shook her head. "Enter," she said as she stood rooted to the spot. Relief washed over her face when she saw it was just Draco and Hermione.

"Draco, Hermione, please have a seat," she called out.

Draco went over to her desk and put the three wands down. She walked over to her desk to see what he was planning.

"Professor, last night Draco was able to get the wands of three students involved." Hermione began.

"Three?! I thought there was only one you suspected?" She said as she focused on Hermione.

"There is only one we suspect, but Travis Bones and Marie Chadwick were also on the scene at the time and had their wands confiscated as well."

"I see, so what is the evidence?"

Draco scooted the offending wand forward. "I've been able to view the last few spells executed by this wand, and the imperious curse was definitely among them. This is the wand belonging to Spencer Octavius of Slytherin house."

Mumblings could be heard from the portraits. "Slytherin, not surprising…"

"Really! That's enough," McGonigal shouted over at previous headmasters.

Several pretended to be sleeping while a few others left their frames.

"And what have you thought of for a punishment?" She hoped he might have a few suggestions.

"Expulsion," Draco uttered. He had never wanted to be in the position to expel a student and it hurt him to say it.

Hermione looked taken aback and looked at the headmistress.

"Well, Hermione, what are your thoughts…"

"I was thinking a suspension and a letter to his parents, as well as detention until Christmas break."

Draco looked at Hermione. "But he impursed a student on and off for a year Hermione! It wasn't like this just happened once. He premeditated what he did and engaged in this act many times. What if his parents commend his actions? Maybe he'll be commended as a hero? Not much of a punishment if you ask me."

"Well it's not much of a punishment to expel him either. That takes him away from probably one of the only places where he is actually exposed to muggles and will be closely watched!

"What if he's the next Dark Lord? Is there any amount of schooling that could help him turn into a decent person?" Draco argued.

"To be honest," Professor McGonigal interjected, "these are the same thoughts I'm mulling over myself."

"You haven't decided on his punishment?" Draco asked.

Professor McGonigal sighed and stood up. "Perhaps you should retrieve him Draco."

Draco gave her a surprised look, "very well," he said as he got up to leave.

The headmistress walked back to the portrait of Dumbledore. "Draco makes a convincing argument Albus. There are other schools of magic."

Dumbledore had a solemn look on his face. "That is true…"

"But it isn't what you would do?" She pressed.

"Dear Minerva, this isn't about what I would do, you are the headmistress now and must chart your own course!"

"You can be so frustrating sometimes…" she replied.

He only continued to smile at her as she turned away from him, her decision made.

Draco reentered only a few moments later with Spencer Octavius and the headmistress transfigured a chair for him to sit in.

"Please have a seat Mr. Octavius." The headmistress said in a somewhat cold voice. "Can you guess our reasons for meeting here today?"

The boy appeared only slightly nervous and then looked down at the headmistress's desk and saw his wand and then swallowed hard. "…yes, I think so." He replied.

"Which is?" McGonigal inquired while staring him down with a hard look.

"I've been using unforgivable curses," he admitted.

"I'll need more detail than that if you plan to remain at Hogwarts Mr. Octavius." She said firmly.

"There's not much more to tell," he said smugly.

Professor McGonigal gave him a threatening smile that put the boy, and the two heads of houses on edge. "I agree, in that case, Mr. Octavius, you are expelled from Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Your belongings will be collected within the hour and you will be returned home via the flu network. The Ministry of Magic will also be alerted to your actions. I hear they keep an annoyingly close watch on those who use unforgivable curses. The safety of the students of Hogwarts is my highest priority, there can be no exceptions."

"But I…I can't be expelled!" He stammered back in disbelief.

"I'll ask you to wait outside while I write to the Minister and your parents," she said as she turned away from him.

Hermione made a movement to stand up.

"A word with each of you if you don't mind," Professor McGonigal asked.

"Sure," Hermione said in a whisper and sat herself back down.

After the boy moved outside McGonigal addressed Hermione. "I can see the decision made you uncomfortable…"

"It's just…I've never seen anyone get expelled before. I don't know that I would have done the same thing." Hermione replied.

"And that's perfectly fine, but I'll appreciate you respecting my decision in this matter," she said in a kind voice.

"I do." Hermione adjusted herself uncomfortably in her chair.

"How are you with the decision Draco?" The headmistress asked.

"Pleased. I couldn't assure my other students safety and couldn't watch him 24 hours a day, I saw no other recourse. If it had only been the one time, maybe then there could have been another choice." He looked at Hermione with a frown. He was sad to lose a member of his house.

"Draco, you would make a fine headmaster one day. Please think about it."

Draco gave her a shocked look but Hermione gave him a half smile. He didn't know what to say as a reply so he just nodded his head.

"Very well, I believe you both should be getting ready to go?" She reminded.

"Oh, yes," Hermione said as she got up and Draco followed her out the door. Once outside they saw Mr. Octavius who had apparently been crying. Hermione tried to comfort him by reaching out and he pulled sharply away.

"Don't touch me you mudblood!" He shouted at Hermione. "I can't believe you are throwing away your pure blood status for this!" he shot at Draco as he motioned toward Hermione.

Hermione was taken aback and looked at Draco, her mouth hanging open. Draco reached out for Hermione's arm and pulled her to him and kissed her hard on the lips she kissed him back and then he broke the kiss.

Draco turned back to the boy sitting there, "I hope you never forget that," he said as he grabbed Hermione's hand in his and walked away.

Within the hour, word of the expulsion had spread around the school. Many students felt so bad for Marie that they went to visit and brought her candy and cards.

By the late evening, Draco received a post owl at dinner. He recognized the green writing on the letter and knew Rita was reaching out for the scoop.

"Doesn't she ever quit?" Draco asked Hermione as he passed her the letter.

"Not likely," she replied as she folded up the letter and set it down. The hall was quieter than usual and Hermione and Draco's involvement had leaked through the whole school. The students were watching them more closely while they were in their company.

Slytherin house had mixed feelings. Most were shocked that Octavius took part in using unforgiveable curses, least of all against a muggleborn from their own house. There were a minor few, mostly his friends, that were quietly supportive of his actions.

In the following week the phrohpet article hit the papers word spread around the wizarding world condemning the actions of the student involved. The school board and headmistress stood together behind their decision and Draco was again listed in the prophet as a hero who intervened for muggle rights and protections, further bolstering his public image.


	51. Chapter 51

Ch. 51

A few days later it was time to head home for the holidays, they decided to apparate from Hogsmead. In a flash they were back at the manor. Lucious had checked at the window to see who had appeared and a moment later Draco's mother was outside greeting them both.

"I'm glad you're home," she said as she approached them and embraced Draco. She gave Hermione a smile. "We better head in, it's chilly out here."

Hermione followed her lead as they went into the house and sat in the front room, where Draco's father had been sitting with a copy of the Prophet on his lap.

"Draco, Hermione," he said in an unenthusiastic tone which was his usual, but his face showed his happiness at seeing his son again.

"Father, I hope you're well," Draco asked politely.

"Yes, yes, I'm fine," he said in his usual haughty drawl. "I've been hoping to ask you about an article I was just reading in the Prophet."

"yeah?" Draco gave his father a quizzical look as he sat down.

"Did you know the school sold that wretched shack, and someone actually bought it?"

Hermione gave Draco a sidewise glance and he caught it out of the corner of his eye.

"I think I did hear something about that…" he shared.

Hermione started up light conversation with Narcissa about decorations for the wedding and hadn't previously been paying attention to the conversation between Lucious and Draco.

"Do you know who bought it, the article didn't say. It wasn't the Weasley's was it?" Lucious laughed at his own joke and Draco cracked a smile which faded as he felt instantly guilty. The Weasley's had been kind to him and even allowed him in their home as a welcomed guest. Not many wizards would do that after the things Draco had done in the not so distant past.

At the mention of the Weasley's Hermione shot a look over at Lucious. He glanced back at Hermione and raised his eyebrows as he rolled his eyes at her and turned back to Draco.

"I doubt it. The buyer, it appears, has purchased it in secret. The only thing Hermione and I know is that they wanted the property fixed up." Draco didn't want to mention all that he and Hermione had been doing that in their spare time, he didn't want the questions that would accompany the truth with his father.

Hermione noticed Draco didn't elaborate so she piped in. "It needed a lot done to it, but it's nearly complete, it's really quite beautiful."

Draco had been hiding this surprise from his parents as well. He wasn't as repulsed as he once had been about the idea of living there one day, but his change in mind had more to do with making Hermione happy than his own feelings. He didn't imagine his parents would understand.

"Well one thing is for certain," Lucious said as he looked over at Hermione. "We have very different ideas of the word 'beautiful', his voice carried the same haughty and disgusted tone from earlier and Hermione was getting her fill of him quickly. Her eyes narrowed and Draco looked for a change of subject but wasn't sure where to start.

There was a knock at the door and although Draco wanted to leave the tension of the room, he didn't want Hermione and his father to get into a disagreement, which he felt might be inevitable.

Lucious laughed at the look on Hermione's face. "It's nice having you both back," he said as he got up.

He answered the door to find a tall and skinny red haired wizard at his door. Ron had only been to the manor two other times, one of those times he was a prisoner. His disgust at meeting Lucious was not hidden on his features. His nose crunched slightly as he tried to control himself and speak respectfully.

"Well, what do you want?" Lucious held the door just slightly open for this unexpected house guest.

"Hermione and …Draco." Was all he managed to say and Lucious opened the door wider to let him in.

"Are they expecting you?" he continued in his normal tone.

"No," Ron returned.

"Rather poor manners to drop by unannounced, but I guess that's to do with your upbringing." He drawled on.

Ron walked passed him and looked in the room right passed the hallway, and saw Draco and Hermione. He helped himself inside.

"Where do you think you're going?" Lucious clutched his cane and was talking in a loud and offended tone.

"Ron!" Hermione yelled as he walked into the room.

"Sorry for barging in like this, but he was getting on my nerves," Ron said apologetically to Draco.

"He has a habit of doing that," Hermione said in a snide way that made Narcissa, Draco, and Ron smile. Lucious however was not pleased.

"Disgraceful, you're lucky I didn't hex you!" Lucious continued to be persistent with his newest house guest.

"You have hexed me! Am I too old now? Not an easy target anymore now that I'm an adult?" he taunted Lucious.

"Besides," Draco said as he got up to stand between his father and Ron. "You're welcome anytime, please, have a seat."

His father shot him an incredulous look and turned around and marched from the room. His mother however staid put, ignoring her husband's behavior.

Hermione felt like she agreed with his father on this one and wondered if she should leave too. Her last several interactions with Ron hadn't gone well at all.

Ron sat down and looked around. He remembered the last time he had been in the front room. He looked up for the chandelier and noticed another one replaced the one that had fallen. Hermione, Draco and Narcissa knew what he had been thinking.

"What can we do for you?" Draco asked politely.

"Well, I thought about what you said, after the party at the ministry…" he trailed off.

Hermione remembered Draco mentioning that he had spoken to Ron, but he never told her what they talked about. She stood up. "I think I'll go check on your father," she said to give them privacy as she moved from her seat. She didn't want to think about the ministry party or the way he publicly embarrassed her ever again. Draco grabbed her hand.

"I'd like it if I could apologize to you Hermione," Ron said. He turned his eyes away from her when he saw Draco grab her hand. "It took Malfoy knocking some sense into me to see what I had been doing to you." Ron began.

"You, you fought him?!" Hermione raised her voice as she looked at Draco.

"Absolutely," Draco returned through Hermione's death stare.

"I thought you knew about that…but it turned out to be the thing that made me be a lot more empathetic to what you had been going through."

Ron had already used up all of Hermione's patience after what happened at the ministry and she didn't feel like she wanted to rehash the last two years with her ex boyfriend and current boyfriend in the same room together.

"I always put you second, everyone and everything second to myself. If we're ever going to be friends I have to…" he started when Hermione interrupted him.

"Ron, I need to stop you right there. I'm afraid after everything that's happened that ship has probably sailed."

Ron gave her a crestfallen look. "I did expect that, to be honest."

She didn't answer but gave him a severe look.

"Can I ask you one thing though?" he said as he looked around again.

Hermione hesitantly nodded her head, not sure what to expect.

"How can you stand to be here?" he gave an involuntary shiver.

She knew what he meant, she felt comfortable in the home where she was once tortured for being muggle born. "You get used to it," she answered dryly. She noticed that both Draco and Narcissa had gone stiff at Ron's question. "Whatever this place had been used as in the past, all it is now is a home."

Ron shook his head like he understood but he truly couldn't. "Anyways…Draco, I wanted to thank you for what you said to me that night. Those were some things I really needed to hear and that I didn't take well at the time. Sorry about hexing you…"

"I did hex you back," Draco reminded.

"And Harry wanted me to apologize for him hexing you when you returned my hex." Ron extended his hand for them to shake.

"Harry was involved in this too?!" Hermione was shocked, normally he stayed out of Ron's problems with other people.

"He saw Malfoy hexing me, what did you expect him to think?" Ron explained.

"To use his brain, Ron. I'll be writing to Harry about this." She said severely.

"But it happened a few months ago, all's well that ends well, let it go Hermione," Ron down played the situation.

"Don't tell me what to do Ronald!" she shouted at him, finally losing her temper. "You have the guts to come here after what you did the last time I saw you?! Because of you I got letters from Rita Skeeter fans and had to endure looks and gossip for months, and now I find out that you and my fiancé and Harry got into a fight!"

"To be fair," Draco began. "The fight had been coming since our first year at Hogwarts."

She understood his logic and didn't disagree with him. "You could have mentioned this Draco," she said as she turned to him.

"When was I supposed to tell you, when you didn't come home for a few days after the party? When you were busy juggling everything the last few weeks?" Irritation showed on his voice.

Hermione felt like she had been stabbed in the heart. It was just about two weeks until the wedding and Draco had kept things from her, and now was using her feelings against her.

Ron made a face to show that the conversation had turned awkward. "So…" he began, trying to change the subject.

"Shut up Ron," Hermione snapped. She had been meaner than she wanted to due to being upset with Draco. Ron could see she hadn't meant to be so mean. "Sorry," she apologized.

"It's fine," he pretended like it hadn't even happened.

She turned back to Draco. "You know why I didn't come home, and you're the one who left me in the shrieking shack and accused me of…" she didn't finish the sentence but looked at Ron and blushed and turned back to Draco. "Well you remember!" she reminded him that he accused her of having feelings for Ron. "And obviously more happened that night than you shared with me, you kept things from me…" Her tone was now hurt.

Even though Draco had been upset about Hermione's reaction, the hurt on her voice changed the situation and softened him. He took a step closer to her just as she turned around and left the room. She might have been crying.

"I just came to say thank you and apologize," Ron said as he threw his hands up in defeat. "I was trying to be respectful after seeing her the last time."

Draco sighed. He never cared for Weasley but he was feeling a little sorry for him. He knew that Ron had lost all of Hermione's trust with his behavior and wasn't likely to get it back. "That night, what happened hurt her pretty deeply Weasley." Draco explained.

Ron nodded his head. "I think I'll just head out…" he said as he motioned to the door.

"Sure," Draco clasped his hand on Ron's back, "I'll see you to the door."

Ron nodded at Narcissa on his way out and she did a very slight nod in his direction. She had read some of the happenings from the party in the Prophet, but had no idea the problems it had caused for her son and soon to be daughter in law. When Draco came back in he started to head to his room when his mother had called out to him. "In here Draco."

He came back into the front room. "Sorry about that mother." He said sheepishly while he ran his hand through his hair.

"Sounds like things have been rough," she began, inviting him to talk about it.

He sat down next to her. "Just a little bit."

Narcissa put her arm around her son. "Everything will be fine Draco. With the things that have happened, and the stress of the wedding, of course there is bound to be some discourse between the two of you. It's normal." She reassured him.

He looked at his mom and sighed again. "Love you mom."

"Love you too son," she said as she gave him a final squeeze. "Now you're going to have to face her."

"When I tell her what happened I think she'll have a hard time forgiving me." He admitted. That was the reason he had hidden the truth from her.

Narcissa nodded her head. "That's also part of marriage Draco, you just have to try to do better next time."

He stood up, shook his head in return and left the front room. He stopped by the kitchen and poured himself a drink before going up to see Hermione and tried to get his thoughts in order. He had a few drinks and before he knew it about half the bottle was gone. He noticed he wasn't feeling much stronger about approaching Hermione but that he had to get it out of the way.

He made the way up to his room and quietly opened the door to find Hermione asleep on the bed. She had a box of tissues laying next to her and he saw that although she was asleep there was one clutched in her hand and he wondered if she had cried herself to sleep. He felt more guilty than he had before. He didn't blame her for not coming home that night, he was deflecting because of what he had done.

He put his hand on her back and lightly shook her awake. "Hermione," he said as she started to stir. "Can we talk?"

She sat up, surprised to see Draco. "I don't have anything to say," she began.

"I mean, I would like to talk to you about something." He clarified.

"Have you been drinking?" She asked as she gave him a sideways look.

"Yes," he admitted. "A lot."

She let out a sigh and looked away from him. "What did you want to discuss?" She was still angry and hurt but figured she would have to start the conversation somewhere for things to move forward.

"Before I start I just want you to know that you're going to be upset with me, and I know that I'll deserve it."

"Okay," she said as he got up from the bed and started pacing the room.

"After you told me what happened and I left the shack, I went straight back to the ministry. Weasley had already left but Harry and Ginny were still there. That night I looked for him everywhere but didn't find him. The next day the article came out and I went directly to the burrow."

He paused and then continued on with his eyes closed, picturing the scene. "I drew my wand when I got there and Ginny told me to put it away. I ignored her and blasted my way through their front door."

Hermione put her hand up to cover her mouth.

"I called out for Weasley and he came down the stairs, wearing a smug smile. I told him we had some unfinished business outside and that we would duel to the death."

Hermione gasped but didn't speak. Draco opened his eyes and had a darkness in them that she had only seen a number of times.

"Once outside he cast a hex at me and I returned it, and then Potter ran to Weasley's aid and hexed me. This you heard about today from Weasley…" he trailed off. "I was able to overpower both of them and came to the point to deliver the killing curse, but instead I told him off for how selfish he had been, how he had manipulated you for years and how if he ever mistreated you again I wouldn't hesitate to finish what I had started. His parents had come out into the yard and immobilized me and sat us both down to talk about what had happened…" Draco was interrupted by Hermione.

"Did you hurt Arthur and Molly?" she asked, concerned.

"No, I could never do that." He returned. Her question hurt him but at the same time he couldn't blame her for asking. "I listened to them. They were mad about the door and the way I stormed in, told me I was welcome anytime, but that they expected better. They told Weasley off," he said as a smile came to his face. "I talked with him for a while and we reached an understanding. We agreed that it wasn't in your best interest for him to continue on the way he had and I told him to leave you alone until he could apologize. Potter piped in a few times and I asked him to leave since this was between Weasley and myself."

"Bet he took that well." She commented as she placed her hands on her hips.

"Both of them have always gotten on my nerves, but I've been really trying Hermione. He argued you have been like a sister to him and that he wouldn't leave, so I asked him to just be quiet while Weasley and I sorted things out. In the end, we came to an agreement."

"What sort of agreement," she asked.

"That if Weasley wants to see you, he will so do at the Manor, when I am present. He will not pursue you or allude to your previous relationship. If we visit the burrow, he will stay in my presence so I can be assured that you are not harassed."

"Draco, I understand that he has gone way too far, but it's beyond inappropriate that you would both negotiate a deal about me without my consent!"

"I can see how you feel, but I'm resolute on this Hermione. I will not allow this to happen again. I will be your husband soon and don't want another blow up in the papers like what has already happened!" His temper was rising again. "One day we will have children that we will have to explain this to, do you want that?" He asked angrily.

"Of course I don't, I didn't want any of this!"

"I know you didn't, and you don't deserve it." His tone had returned to calm, almost consoling.

"How do you plan on managing the rules you set down, Ron can just as easily agree now and then change again later…" she pointed out.

"That's not going to happen," Draco closed his eyes again and ran his hand through his hair again.

"How can you be sure?" she pushed.

Draco paused and looked at Hermione in the eyes, the moment he dreaded was coming. "Because we made the unbreakable vow." He uttered as he felt his words hang on the air.

Hermione shot up from the bed, shock and disgust were on her face and tears were welling up in her eyes.

He didn't reach out to comfort her this time, he knew he had gone too far, but he never wanted Hermione to go through what she had with Weasley again. There was only one way to grant that assurance, and Weasley had participated willingly. Potter pleaded with them not to go through with it, and mentioned how against it Hermione would be, but they both decided to go through with it as a sign of trust. It was Ron's way of acknowledging that Hermione really did belong to Draco now. It was the only way he could start to let her go.

She walked out of the room and slammed the door and a second later he heard a pop that told him she had apparated away from Malfoy Manor.


	52. Chapter 52

Ch. 52

Hermione had been so furious that she didn't even know where to go. She apparated to a small wizard village and decided to just walk around until she could clear her head. She wasn't even sure which village she had landed in.

She walked up and down the streets, not paying much attention to her surroundings, thinking of what Draco had told her. Although things were stressful with Ron, she expected him to move on in time. But for Draco and him to make the unbreakable vow, over her, was just inexcusable.

Hermione understood that Draco was upset, and could even understand him fighting Ron. She was also furious at Harry who did not bother to relate the events to her. She wanted to go to the burrow, but knew that would mean she would be putting Ron's life in danger. Ginny for that matter didn't write or visit afterwards, and come to think of it she hadn't heard from her friends in months, since before the party at the ministry happened.

All of a sudden, she became aware that she was in a dark road and there were people around her that she couldn't see very well. She drew her wand and turned to walk back the direction she had come from. Halfway up the road someone bumped into her. "Excuse me," she said as she continued to move forward.

The person reached out and grabbed her arm as Hermione tried to shake them off. As their face came into focus she realized the person holding her arm was Spencer Octavious. Suddenly everything went dark.

Draco waited for Hermione to come back and drank the rest of the bottle he had left in the kitchen. He got out some parchment and wrote to Harry.

Potter,

Hermione knows what happened after the party at the ministry. She's been gone for a few hours

and I wanted to know if she was with you. I know you're not happy with me Potter but I just need

to know that she's safe.

-Draco

He sent it off and waited for a reply, sobering up more and more by the minute while he worried about Hermione and if she would ever be able to forgive him. He knew it was a longshot. About an hour later his owl came back with a note.

Malfoy,

Glad you finally told her, or maybe I should say, glad that Ron let it slip. I told you that I'd let you

talk to her about it first, but it's been over two months. She's not here, but as her presence now

puts Ron's life in jeopardy, it's not hard to see why. I'm heading out now to go look for her, I

suggest you do the same.

-Harry

Draco took the letter and crumpled it and threw it to the floor. He stood up and grabbed his cloak and headed for the door.

After hours of searching for her, at the castle, the shrieking shack, her parent's house, Harry met up with Draco by accident outside of the wizard village Ottery St. Catchpole.

"Potter, over here," Draco yelled out.

"You haven't found her yet," he commented with his arms crossed.

Draco shook his head no.

"That means she probably doesn't want to be found." Harry was ready to stop searching for her, he knew how headstrong Hermione was and that there wasn't much of a point looking for her. "She'll come back when she's ready." He offered.

Draco let out a sigh, Potter was right. He still didn't like the thought of her being by herself, there were still those few that could be her enemies, lurking in the shadows. As one who used to lurk in those Shadows, Draco knew this only too well. "Okay," he said a little gruffly and started to turn around. Just then he was struck with another idea. "You can talk to the ministry, put a trace on her!"

"That's not as simple as it sounds, and anyways, I think I'll have a hard time convincing the ministry to put a trace on Hermione Granger of all people, don't you?" Harry asked in a calm tone, trying to work through Draco's logic.

"I don't think you will have a hard time. Our marriage could bring enemies out of the woodwork, we both know this." He said, exasperated at Harry's lack of interest.

"If you still get married…" Harry said aloud unintentionally. As soon as he said it he looked at Draco to see if he had heard him.

Draco quickly grabbed Harry by his shirt and held him up and pointed his fist at his face. "Say that again Potter!"

Passerby's on the street were starting to stare.

Harry could smell the alcohol on Draco's breath and realized that he finally had enough of Draco and punched him in the face at the same time Draco's fist collided with his own face. Both of them were knocked to the ground, Harry holding his jaw and Draco cupping his hand around his nose, which was now broken.

When Harry got up he walked two steps in the other direction and apparated out of sight.

"Stupid Potter," Draco said as he got to his feet and decided where to go next. He apparated and within a few seconds he was transported to a new street, right outside of a telephone booth. He hopped into the booth, dialed a number on the receiver, and was transported downwards into the ground. His nose was still bleeding and he wiped it on his sleeve.

When he entered the ministry he was in the main lobby. The statue that was unveiled at the party had been put up in the fountain since the last time he had been there. He stopped when he saw Hermione's likeness and his heart ached. He continued on and made his way to a desk at the front. "I'm here to see the minister," he announced.

"Sir!" the young wizard at the counter shouted. "Do you know you're bleeding?"

"Yes, I've noticed. The minister…please." He said frankly.

The wizard started at him in shock and kept his eyes wide as he looked down at a schedule. "I'm afraid the minister is in a meeting right now."

"With who?" Draco asked flippantly.

"I'm afraid that's ministry business," the young man squared up his shoulders. "But his face is on that statue over there," he whispered, obviously excited that he'd seen Harry Potter.

"Potter? Potter is here talking to the minister?" His anger started to bubble up again.

The wizard just nodded his head slowly a few times.

"That no good, pious prat!" Draco said through gritted teeth.

"You have a problem with Harry Potter?" the wizard said and then looked more carefully at Draco. Understanding dawned on his face. "I know you, you're from that…" he whispered again "that death eater family…"

Draco glared at the wizard and walked past him towards the minister's office.

"Come back here!" the wizard called after him. He was too intimidated to run after Draco or to even pull his wand. The scarlet color of his blood on his pale skin made him look unusually scary.

He barged his way into the minister's office and saw him having a private meeting with Harry. "I'm sorry to importune you Minister, but I'm afraid Hermione could be in danger." Draco announced as he entered.

"Here we go again," Harry responded as Kingsley looked between the two of them, his eyes wide at seeing Draco.

Draco wiped the blood from his nose again and did his best to look dignified.

"Mr. Malfoy, you look unwell, please have a seat." Kingsley offered. The truth was, he did look terrible. If he had been in better health upon coming in, the minister would have turned him right out of the room for his rude behavior.

Draco sat down. "We need to organize a search party."

The minister took in his tired and concerned features. He cared for Hermione as well, but he also knew she could take care of herself.

"It's standard to wait 48 hours before we go looking for a missing person," Kingsley said calmly.

"48 hours!" he said as he stood up again, "That's ridiculous!"

"That's our procedure, I'm sorry Mr. Malfoy." Kingsley gave him a sorrowful look. "If it makes you feel better, tonight Harry, Ron and I will go looking for her ourselves." He reassured.

"Ron will have to sit this one out Minister." Harry replied in a dark tone.

Kingsley didn't ask why Ron wouldn't be coming but just moved on. "Harry and myself then." He finished.

Draco wasn't satisfied with the response. "Minister, if you don't do the trace, you leave me no choice but to go to the Prophet. You know how the wizarding community feels about Hermione, this could get ugly for the ministry…" he offered.

Kingsley dropped his calm facade. "That sounds like a threat…" he posed as Draco shrugged. "What do you plan to say to them, that you had a falling out with her and she left? No one would believe she was kidnapped, and with your past reputation do you really think this story would surprise the community? Sweet Hermione got into an argument with a past death eater and then no ones hears from her? Don't you think you have more to risk if that story came out?" His words came out rather harshly.

Harry looked at Draco, regretting how harsh Kingsley had just been, they were all on the same team now, after all.

Draco narrowed his eyes further "I'll take my chances," he uttered as he walked out of the office, slamming the door behind him.


	53. Chapter 53

Ch. 53

When Hermione woke up she picked her face off a cold wood floor and looked around. It seemed she was in a house, possibly an abandoned house from the looks of it. There was thick dust on every surface and the furniture was old and tattered. She was careful not to stir too much, not wanting to alert anyone to her waking up. She noticed she wasn't tied but could feel a spell on the room that would most likely keep her from leaving. She slowly tried to reach to the place where she kept her wand.

"Looking for this," a cold and playful voice broke the silence.

As she looked up she saw Spencer Octavius holding her wand.

She didn't want to play games. "Do what you're going to do, there's a reason you brought me here…"

His eyebrows raised at the challenge. "Very well," he replied. "Crucio!" he shouted and Hermione writhed in pain as the spell connected. He had the effect last a few minutes before he finally stopped, laughing.

He did have power, but she could tell he was still in the beginning levels of learning the curses. A dark look settled over Hermione's features as she waited for him to talk. He sat there silently glaring at her, seemingly not knowing what to do. It was obvious to her that her abduction was not pre-meditated.

"What is it you hope to gain from this?" she asked him calmly while she scanned the surroundings more carefully.

"I'll have power, strength, and I'll even get Professor Malfoy on my side. I knew who he was before he was a teacher. He knows dark magic, he can teach me."

"What would make you think he would ever teach you?" Hermione tried to understand.

"Because you'll tell him to." He said in a dangerous tone.

It was Hermione's time to laugh, she wanted to show him how ineffective he was.

"Stop it!" he shouted at her, and when she didn't stop he held up his wand and cast another curse at her. "Crucio!" he called again. She noticed he did better with this attempt, but it wasn't enough to stop her from moving her body. She jerkily walked up to him as she fought the curse. When she reached him he got up to move but she picked him up and threw him to the ground. She found that she had an incredible strength.

As he fell her wand dropped, and even though they both reached for it, she was able to retrieve it before he did.

"Expelliarmis!" she shouted and his wand came zooming into her hand. He laid on the floor shaking, obviously scarred. "Get up," she yelled angrily.

He slowly got up, showing his hands as he did so.

"Move to the couch," she yelled as she pointed with the wand.

He stood still. "Are you going to kill me?" he said as he began to cry.

"Sit down, we're going to have a nice long chat," she said, knowing he was at her mercy now.

Draco was hurt by the minister's words towards him regarding Hermione. Even though Draco had put in so much effort to change, it just seemed like it didn't matter when it counted. After all he learned and worked for, he wasn't a step closer to making sure Hermione was safe.

He was pacing out in the lobby, deciding what his next steps would be, when he felt a hand on his shoulder. He looked up to see who it was.

"Potter? Get your hand off of me," Draco growled angrily.

"I'm sorry for what he said in there. That wasn't right." Harry explained.

"No it wasn't, but it doesn't matter." He stopped pacing and walked away from Harry.

Harry kept pace with Malfoy, not letting him out of his sight.

"Stop following me," Draco growled at him again.

"Look Draco, it's going to take both of us to find her. Why don't we work together?" he offered.

"I already tried that with you tonight Potter, remember punching me and running off to see the minister without me?" he shouted.

"You punched me too, remember?" Harry called out.

"I'm a legitimens Potter, I saw that you had fully intended to break my nose. My punch barely connected."

Harry knew Draco was right. He had barely hit Harry, in fact, Harry couldn't even feel where Draco had hit him.

"Okay, I'll give you that." Harry admitted. "I'm sorry about arguing earlier. I want to make it right and help find her." He offered again.

"I need to go back to the manor and regroup," Draco announced.

"What?" Harry's face looked a little crestfallen. He didn't want to go.

"Are you coming or not?" Draco threw out.

"I'm coming," Harry said reluctantly as Draco apparated on the spot.

Harry apparated next and found himself in the garden of Malfoy Manor.

He saw Draco had just entered a pair of double doors that led into the house, Harry a followed.

"Father, Father," Draco called out with impatience.

"Yes Draco!" his father returned his impatient tone, wondering what his son was up to now. He saw Draco's face with dried blood on it, and that he appeared to be a wreck emotionally.

"There you are," he said as he found his father. "I need your help." His tone was desperate.

Harry had just caught up with Draco and stood behind him and Lucious took in the sight of him.

"Potter?" he hissed, "What's he doing here?!"

"Let me catch you up quickly," Draco offered as all three of them stood there. He didn't have a moment to lose.

"I said sit down, Mr. Octavius!" she shouted at him after he didn't obey her first request. He finally sat. "Who's house is this?"

"It's my house," he said quietly.

"Where are your parents, your family?" she asked.

He gave her a disgusted look as if to say he wasn't going to tell her. She pulled his wand from her pocket and put it in both hands, as if to motion that she was ready to snap it in half. She inhaled and started to put downward pressure on her hands when he stopped her.

"Please, don't do that." He seemed genuine for the first time in their acquaintance. "It's my mother's."

Hermione raised her eyebrows at him. "Better start talking then…" she let him know she was not going to play his games.

"My parents both fought all the time and after my mother died, my father left. He only comes back periodically, but it's been less and less since more time goes by from her death." He felt exposed. "Are you happy now!" he yelled. It felt good to have someone to take his anger out on.

"Am I happy that your mother died and you rarely see your father? Hardly. I imagine that you feel pretty lonely most of the time."

"Don't try to 'understand' me. I don't want to get to know you." He clarified, seeing her pity.

She worked harder to control herself. "I don't want to get to know you either," she added in a smug tone.

"Can I have my wand back now?" his tone was still less than civil.

"Oh, I think not." Her reserved tone was irritating him.

"So what now? Are we just going to stare at each other all night?"

"To be honest, I'm not sure what I plan to do." She considered his question.

He sat up in his chair. "Are you going to torture me like I tortured you?" The question came out like a whisper. He knew no body would notice for a while if he were gone. She already knew no one was coming to check on him soon.

"Why would you think that?" she asked, but didn't say no.

He shrugged his shoulders. "I guess, it would be fair…considering what I did to you."

There were many angles Hermione could approach this question from and she wasn't sure which one to pick. "You make a good point, are you ready," she said as she stood up and pointed her wand at him.

He took a deep breath and stood up as he tried to act dignified. He closed his eyes and waited for Hermione's spell to hit.

He felt a light thud hit his chest and something fall to the floor right in front of him, causing him to open his eyes. It was his wand. His head shot up at Hermione. "I don't understand…"

"I noticed that." She replied. "At one time I thought you were intelligent, did you know that?"

"I don't care what you think," he shot back.

"How stupid!" she provoked him.

"Shut up!" he yelled.

"Why don't you make me?" she said as a smile played on her lips.

He sent another curse her way "Imperio!"

She blocked it easily. "Again!"

"Crucio!" he wanted to hurt her.

She again blocked the spell, "Is that the best you can do?"

"Expeliarmis!" he yelled, if he could get her wand, he could get the upper hand.

Blocked again. "I expected more from a slytherin…" she said in a disappointed tone.

He roared with rage, "why are you doing this?!"

"You're the one who brought me here. You really need more practice!"

She continued to block his spells until he got all of his frustration out. She knew he wasn't frustrated at her and that he was using her as a target instead of who he was really angry at. She didn't let her guard down and two hours later he started to slow down.

"Nothing is hitting you!" he yelled at her in frustration and put his wand at his side.

"You mentioned the dark arts earlier, do you think I need dark magic to win?"

He considered her question. "I don't think so." He answered honestly.

She relaxed her stance to put him at ease, once he relaxed she fired off several non-verbal spells all over the room. Items began to transfigure and transform, some burst into flames and others were sent flying and then immobilized. The boy was terrified. He had no idea of the power she possessed.

He began shaking slightly as he put his hands up to cover his face. She didn't stop him.

In an instant all the magic stopped and everything was returned to normal. She waited for him to uncover his eyes.

"So," she began. "Is it your father who is a muggle born?"


	54. Chapter 54

Ch. 54

Draco related the affair quickly to his father while Potter accompanied him.

"Malfoy?" Harry asked when both of them looked at him. He addressed Draco. "Do you think we should be wasting any time? Your dad can't leave the house, right?" He didn't mean to come across as rude, but this was Lucious Malfoy they were talking about.

Lucious glared while Draco put his hand up in front of his father's chest. "She trusts his judgement Potter, and so do I, that's why we're here." He turned back to his father.

Lucious sighed while he considered his daughter-in-law. "She isn't usually rash, but of course she's upset with you. You did make the right choice with Weasley though, set your conscience to rest on that one…" he offered.

"Seriously?" Harry shouted.

Lucious raised his eyebrows at Potter and continued. "If it were me, I would give her sometime to return before going to the prophet or back to the ministry. I really believe that she will turn back up and isn't likely to be in any danger."

"Not likely? Would you be just as satisfied with 'not likely' if it were mom who was missing?" Draco was more intense than this father had seen him in many years.

"Calm down Draco!" his father shouted at him. "I know your mother is capable of taking care of things should she need to, and we both know that Hermione is too!"

Hearing his father say her name did cause him to calm down. "How long should I give her to get back?"

His father looked at Potter for advice on that one.

"Oh, me?" he thought for a moment. "She usually gets over things kind of quickly, depending on what they are. From her perspective this is a pretty big thing…so I'm not really sure."

"Very helpful," Lucious replied.

"We could always ask Ron?" Harry said darkly.

Draco gave Harry an angry look and then it softened. "You know Potter, I might actually do that." He got a piece of parchment and a pen and drafted a note to Ron.

Hey Weasley,

Can you get over here? I'm at the Manor with Potter.

It's urgent.

-Draco

He tied it to his owl and sent it off.

"How long is that going to take?" Lucious asked.

"Probably about half and hour, that's what it took for Potter to get my note earlier." Draco answered.

"I agree with your dad, we should wait and give it time." Harry hated to agree with Lucious Malfoy.

Draco paced the floor for about thirty minutes when he heard a knock at the door. He jumped to answer it and let Ron in.

"Weasley, you got my message." Draco said as relief washed over him.

"I never expected you to be relieved to see me…" Ron stated.

"Me either," Draco commented and then moved on. "We were wondering how long you think it might take for Hermione to surface once she gets angry about something…"

"I'm guessing from her reaction to us fighting, that you didn't tell her about the vow?" Ron asked.

"I told her after you left." Draco admitted.

"Played like a true git," Ron said angrily.

"He shouldn't take all of the blame, you went through with it," Harry reminded.

"So you're on his side now?" Ron threw at Harry.

"I'm on Hermione's side, and I told you both not to go through with this, it's only caused trouble." Harry tried to explain.

"How pious of you, to bring it up for discussion right now," Lucious added, "Saint Potter."

"You can shut it!" Harry yelled at him.

"Enough!" Draco yelled to quiet them down.

"Unbelievable," Ron uttered.

Draco just stared at him.

"He always has to have the last word," Harry remarked. "Proceed."

"How much time do you think she will need before we need to start looking for her?" Draco asked point blank.

"Well, thanks to our agreement, I won't be going to look for her at all." He added.

Draco slammed his hand on the table. "Are you going to help or not? Do you care so little about her that you aren't even willing to offer any assistance?"

His question struck a chord and the rest of the table was quiet. Ron slowly took something out of his pocket and placed it on the table.

"The deluminator!" Harry yelled.

"The what?" Lucious said as he straightened in his chair.

"This is a deluminator, given to me by Dumbledore. All I have to do is ask for someone and it will lead me right to them. Since I can't go to Hermione, I can check up on her so we can see if she is safe." Ron explained.

"What are you waiting for?" Draco asked. "Let's see if it works!"

Ron grabbed the deluminator, "Hermione Granger," he said softly as he clicked it. As he did an orb left the object and floated away. Everyone could hear her voice as the orb traveled.

" _ **You mentioned the dark arts earlier, do you think I need dark magic to win?"**_

Her voice was fleeting but it was definitely her.

"What the hell was that?" Draco said as he shot out of his chair.

The voice was faded and was gone.

"It sounds like she's in a duel…" Ron commented.

"What's this about the dark arts?" Harry added.

Lucious had no comment to add and was just as mystified as everyone else at the table, hearing Hermione utter those words.

"I don't want to talk about it!" He didn't have the energy to yell at her after being scared by the magic she possessed.

"Sure you do, that's why you targeted me," she pressed.

He didn't speak.

"You really looked up to Draco, didn't you?"

He nodded two times to show her she was right. "I still do."

"You are also aware that he switched sides, right? That he doesn't hate muggles or practice the dark arts?"

"He's wrong," the boy returned.

"He lacked self-confidence, just as you do now." She returned, no hint of anger in her voice.

"You don't know what you're talking about!" he yelled.

She set the room around them on fire in an instant and she took several steps closer to him.

"I know exactly what I'm talking about Spencer," she used his first name for emphasis and it caught him off guard. "I know that you're holding onto a weak ideology to protect yourself from the truth. What happened to you?"

He was scared. Scared of her and scared to admit the truth. "My mom was a pure blood witch, she was my best friend."

Hermione didn't say anything but stayed still, listening while the fire glowed around the both of them.

"When she died, my muggle father left, this world was too much for him…I was too much for him." He started to cry and then wiped his tears off on his sleeve and faced her, daring her to laugh at him.

"And having someone to look up to in Draco, seeing him falling in love with a muggle born…it brought back memories for you…" she asked, impassive.

"I knew he'd be making a mistake!" he half shouted.

Hermione nodded her head. She made the flames die away and they both just stood there for a few moments, staring. Spencer's chest was heaving.

She thought about her next moves, but as much as she thought about them, the more she didn't feel like any course was the right course. She needed Draco. Her anger at him hadn't ebbed away, but he was the only one she knew of that could help this young man in front of her get on track. "Come with me somewhere." She uttered.

"No," he acted like the suggestion was an affront to him.

"Afraid?" she pressed.

"How do I know you're not taking me to the ministry? Turning me in?" he tried to reason.

"I could have already called them or taken you to them by now if that was my intent."

"Where are we going?" he said a little less forcefully.

She ignored his question. "Have you apparated before?"

He shook his head that he hadn't.

"You'll feel a strange sensation in your belly button, like you're being pulled inside out. It will be over quickly, just don't let go." She said in a reserved tone as she held out her arm.

"I have to touch you?" he asked, repulsed.

"Believe me, I'm not crazy about touching you either…" she said as she glared at him.

He placed his hand on top of her arm and she clasped her hand on top of his. A moment later a loud pop sound was heard and they were in a dark garden.

"Try that again Weasley," Draco said as he paced around the room. He wanted to hear Hermione's voice again.

"Give me a minute," he said impatiently as he prepared the deluminator. He clicked it and it took an orb of light from somewhere in the room into the contraption. When he clicked it again the orb left it. "Hermione Granger," he whispered after it. It slowly made it's way through the room.

" _ **Sure you do, that's why you targeted me,"**_ the orb played Hermione's voice. _**"You really looked up to Draco, didn't you?"**_

"I knew it," Draco said as he hung his head. "She's been put into danger because of me." His tone was dejected.

"Looks that way…" Ron returned, sarcastically.

"Shut up Ron!" Harry piped in.

"This is why I'm not sorry about the vow Weasley," Draco threw back at him.

Harry shot Draco a glare. "We have to work together if we are going to find Hermione. If you two can't stop bickering then I'm going to look for her on my own."

"We know that she's being targeted, she's had an altercation of some kind, or she's headed for an altercation," Lucious reasoned out loud. "And against someone who previously looked up to Draco. Based off the information there's no way to tell how long ago that was…"

"Potter, is this enough to get the minister to do the trace?" Draco knew if they could just get that accomplished, it would be so much easier to find her.

"I don't know, Shacklebolt's really strict about the 48 hour rule, but this is Hermione we're talking about. I'm not sure this is enough." Harry answered honestly.

"Weasley, do that thing again." Draco called out.

Ron picked up the deluminator again and clicked to take another light away when they heard an audible pop outside. They all knew what the pop meant.

"Is it her?" Ron asked as Draco and Harry gathered at the window.

Draco stood there frozen as his father got up and came to the window. "Who's that with her?" he asked.

"I don't believe this…" he said as he opened the door and walked out to her.

She didn't greet him, partly from being sore and partly from being angry with him for earlier.

"Professor Malfoy," Spencer Octavius said as he nodded his head at the professor.

"Mr. Octavius," Draco said in a tone that showed his surprise. "Please give me a minute with my fiancé." He said as he stepped to the side and pulled Hermione by the arm.

"I've been worried sick about you Hermione, where the hell did you go?"

"I'm fine Draco," she returned. "Plus, it's a long story, but it can wait. He has no where else to go." Draco just stared at her.

"Spencer, feel free to head inside, Draco's parents are in there. They're pure blood wizards, although they don't hate muggles either… at least his mother doesn't." She corrected herself on the last part.

He raised his eyebrows and began to head inside, eyeing her sheepishly.

"I'm still very angry with you Draco, and even though I'm home, it doesn't mean I forgive you."

His heart warmed at her saying she was home. "You consider the Manor your home then?" It slipped out before he could stop himself. He knew now was not the right time.

She began to feel vulnerable, hearing his tone. She had been through a lot that evening and it had been hard not having him near. Her eyes began to fill with tears and she looked away and took a deep breath. He reached out to console her and she put her hand up to stop him.

"Not because I don't want to," she whispered. "We need to deal with Spencer first."

Draco looked back and forth from the house to Hermione.

She wanted to explain but at the moment she was lost for words.

Draco walked with her into the house. Lucious, Potter, Weasley, Spencer and now Narcissa were sitting down, all avoiding one another's gaze and not talking. Draco forgot to mention to Hermione that her friends were there.

"Harry," Hermione said flatly as she came inside with Draco. "And Ron too…" she said darkly. "Anyone else who's betrayed me that you forgot to invite?" She said as she looked at Draco.

"Look Hermione," Harry started. "I wanted to tell you sooner, but I didn't want to get in between you and Draco. He promised to tell you and I tried to give him that chance."

She gave him a sharp glare. "I don't blame you for not stopping them Harry. After thinking about it, I think it needed to happen…"

"What the bloody hell?" Ron sat up in his chair.

It happened quickly before anyone was prepared for it. She whipped out her wand and sent a stinging curse at Ron.

"Hermione!" Harry yelled and tried to stop her.

She had a dangerous and dark look in her eyes. "I know you only let them go through with the vow because you saw that as the only way for Ron to move forward, is that right?"

"…yes…" he admitted, feeling a little guilty.

"I'm glad you did that, I would have done the same thing in your position Harry. Don't feel bad." Her tone was still dark and flat.

Harry nodded his head.

"I need you guys to leave now," it wasn't a question, but a statement.

"You're being rather rude Hermione, they both came to look for you. They thought you were in trouble." Narcissa reproached her.

"I'm grateful for friends, but neither of you has acted the part lately. I never hear from you Harry, and I only hear from Ron long enough to cause the next scene. I need some space from you two." Her eyebrows were raised, showing she couldn't possibly take one more thing.

Ron got up without a word, walked out into the garden and apparated. Harry walked a little bit slower. "For what it's worth Hermione, I am sorry. I hope I can see you again soon."

"You'll see me at the wedding in a couple weeks," she returned.

Draco looked over at her quickly and then looked away.

After Harry left her tone softened as she looked over at Draco. "I hadn't changed my mind, if that's what you're wondering."

Draco ran his hand through his hair in relief. "I wasn't thinking that you had," he lied.

"As angry as I was, it never crossed my mind," she reassured him.

"Gross," Octavius said from his chair in the room. He wasn't bothering to hide his disdain. Lucious laughed and Narcissa smiled.

"Draco, I was wondering if you could just talk with Mr. Octavius in the dining room while I speak with your parents?"

Draco got up from his chair and escorted his previous student into another room.

"What do you need to discuss with us?" Lucious asked, "who is that boy?"

"He's the one you've been reading about in the papers, the one who had been sending me the letters at school and impursed a student to do it."

They both just stared back at her.

"And why is he here?" Narcissa asked.

"He tried to abduct me, actually he succeeded in that, and then tried to torture me…" Hermione began as Lucious stood up. "It's alright, he detests muggle borns because his father, a muggle, abandoned him after his mother passed away. I feel kind of bad for him."

"We can't have someone in this house who would cause harm to a member of this family!" Narcissa became upset with her for the second time that evening. "What if he tells Draco what he's done?"

Lucious walked into the other room and a moment later came back with Draco. He appeared to be whispering to him and as he spoke to him his features changed from curiosity to livid anger.

He addressed Hermione. "You brought him back here after he tortured you?"

She began to feel small. " **I** came back here after your family tortured me…"

They were all silent.

"He reminded me of you at that age Draco, he's just misguided. I know if he had people who could care about him, give him direction, he could turn out so much better."

Draco sighed. "It's not like he would take direction from you! He doesn't respect you…"

"I know it can't be me, that's why I was hoping to talk to your parents. He puts a lot of stock in pure blood, as you guys do."

"Used to," Narcissa corrected.

Lucious considered the topic for a moment. He didn't correct Hermione. "So you're hoping we could do what exactly?"

"Build a relationship with him, mentor him, let him stay here when he's out of school…" She wrung her hands as she replied.

"But he's been expelled from school, he isn't likely to get in to a school anytime soon." Draco commented.

"Let me worry about that, I'll have him in a school by the time break is over."

"I think this is something Lucious and I need to discuss, have you brought this idea up to the boy?" Narcissa asked.

"…uh, no, I haven't." Hermione realized.

Narcissa just raised her eyebrows as Hermione as her and Draco left the room to go sit with Spencer, leaving Lucious and Narcissa alone to talk.

When Hermione and Draco went into the dining room, Hermione hung back and let Spencer and Draco talk with as little interruption as possible. Spencer kept looking up at her periodically, but didn't have an angry or upset look on his face.

Draco had a hard time hiding his disdain after he found out that the boy had tortured Hermione and waited several minutes before he felt he could speak.

While they started talking Lucious came into the dining room and looked at Hermione. "A word?" he uttered and walked back into the front room.

She followed behind, thinking that the pitch to them hadn't gone well, and how likely they were to say no. She wasn't sure what to do with the boy if they said no.

"I would ask if you were serious regarding your question to us, but I think I know you well enough at this point to know you are…" Lucious began.

She didn't say anything but just continued to look between him and Narcissa.

"Lucious and I have discussed that if you can get him in to a school, and he doesn't cause problems for our family or at the manor, then we can come to an agreement."

"Oh, oh, that's wonderful!" She wanted to hug them but held herself back, they weren't the hugging type. "I wasn't prepared for this, I thought for sure you guys would say no!"

"While we won't get a redo with Draco, maybe we can do something right with this young man." Lucious offered.

Narcissa nodded her agreement.

"Alright, I'll let him know what his options are." Hermione said as she left the room. When she went back into the dining room, Draco and Spencer who had been whispering were quiet and looked up at her.

"I don't mean to interrupt," she added politely and began to walk back into the other room when Draco motioned for her to come back.

"It's fine, please join us," he said as Spencer crinkled his nose.

"Hope you two have found something to talk about," she inquired.

Spencer nodded his head to show they had while Draco remained motionless. Hermione could tell that Spencer was enjoying the time together more than Draco was.

"Have you thought about which school you would like to go to?" She asked him.

"I'm not likely to get into a school after what has happened. I haven't applied to any." He answered honestly. He didn't appear sorry for his actions that caused him to get expelled, and tonight was further proof of that to Hermione.

"This week Draco and I will reach out to find you a school to attend, if you would like…"

He raised his eyebrows slightly and looked at Draco who nodded, affirming they would do that for him. "Okay," he offered.

"No, not 'okay,' it needs to be a yes or a no. You need to show me that you're serious and that you've understood the consequences of your actions that have brought you to this point. If you have further issues, do you understand that you will not get a second chance and will be living your life in wizard prison?"

He shuddered at the mention of prison but knew she was right. He was at the lowest he could possibly get, he didn't even care what happened to himself anymore. He needed a change, a second chance and he knew he wouldn't mess it up. "Yes, I understand and I want to go to school." He said without any of his attitude or bravado, he seemed entirely genuine.

"And another thing, what are your plans during the holidays or vacations from school?" she asked, remembering what his home looked like.

His face was crestfallen as she mentioned this, he knew he had no where to go. "I'll do what I always do, go home, whatelse?" He didn't know why she was asking this question, was it to rub it in that he had no one?

"Lucious and Narcissa have agreed that as long as you don't cause trouble, you're welcome to stay here."

Draco did a double take at Hermione, his brows furrowed, not believing what he had heard. He believed in second chances as much as the next person, but he didn't want Hermione under the same roof as this kid.

Spencer contorted his face and tried to hold back tears, a few had escaped already. Hermione kept her face calm and impassive with him. "Why are you doing any of this for me?" his tone was unreadable.

Hermione sighed and decided not to answer his question, she didn't know the reasons herself, except that she didn't want him to turn into another Voldemort. "Because I can. Lucious and Narcissa are waiting for you in the front room, don't keep them waiting." She said in a way that ended the conversation and he got up and left the table.

Draco turned to her once he left the room. "My parents are doing what now?"

"Is it really that unthinkable Draco, you know how much they enjoy company. Plus, I think they will get along well. He has a lot to learn and needs to learn from people he can respect. You guys are the only ones that fit that criteria for him."

Draco knew she was right, but he still didn't want to invest in someone who was a threat to his fiancé. It had been a long day, he rubbed his face and Hermione noticed how drained and tired he looked. She wanted to comfort him but realized she was still too angry.

"You should probably get some rest," she offered. "I think I should probably go to my parent's house..."

"Oh, sure, just let me grab some things and I'll be ready." He said as he started to get up.

"Draco, I meant for us to…" she began as she shifted uncomfortably in her chair. After the night she had she needed him, but was still upset with him and wondered if it would help her to have her space. It was a hard position. "For us to have some space."

Draco had heard her perfectly clearly. "I understood what you meant Hermione, but after what happened tonight, you're crazy if you think I'm going to leave you alone." His tone was firm.

Hermione gazed at Draco, not sure what to say.

"If you don't want to talk to me, that's fine. I just need to know that you're safe." He replied.

Hermione shook her head. "We can stay here then, but I'm putting a spell on the room so no one can get in." she returned.

"I'll be putting some spells of my own as well," Draco replied.

Hermione left her chair and headed up to the room without another word.

Draco got up slowly and walked past the front room, making eye contact with his mother and father as he stepped in. They both had slight smiles on their faces. "We're off to bed," he mentioned.

Lucious nodded.

"And where is he going to be sleeping?" Draco planned to put protections as far reaching as possible while Spencer was staying there.

"In the guest room, that will be his room now." His mother returned with a light-hearted smile. He hadn't seen her happy like this in a long time.

"And what about security?" Draco asked intently.

"It will be taken care of Draco," his father said in a way that showed the conversation was over.

Draco walked up to his room, wand out, while he preformed spells to keep people away from his room and keep Hermione protected. When he got to the door, he slowly turned the handle and saw that Hermione was still getting dressed. He froze in the doorway and then walked into the room and closed the door, keeping his back to her as she put on one of his t-shirts. When he heard Hermione move the covers he turned back around.

He walked up to the bed not looking at her, but grabbed his blanket and pillow off the bed and set them in a chair. He sighed as he sat down. So much had happened in the last day and he was exhausted. He shared a secret that made him fear that he had lost Hermione for good, tried to take every path to find her, only for her to show up after having been tortured with his former expelled student, who his parents might now house. Could the day be any crazier? As he drifted off to sleep he felt a warm feeling spread over him and smelled Hermione's scent around him, relaxing him so that he drifted off to sleep.

He woke up in the late afternoon, having been so sleep deprived from the day before. Hermione was in his arms and sleeping soundly against his chest. He didn't question her reasons for being there, but just held her closer to himself and listened to her breathe. They would be getting married in a short time and with everything that happened he still considered himself lucky.

Draco sat there patiently for a few hours while she slept, wondering if she would want to talk when she woke up. When she finally did stir she saw that Draco was awake.

"I'm sorry," she uttered. "Did I wake you up?"

"No, I've been awake for a while." He returned in a husky tone.

She laid her head back down. "I don't want to get up yet," her voice was still sleepy.

"You don't have to," he replied gently, not wanting her to get up.

"I'm upset with you Draco," she said as she avoided his gaze.

"I'm aware of that…" he returned quietly.

"I understand why you did what you did, it makes sense to me how you saw that as an option, I just don't agree with it."

Draco didn't say anything, Hermione had made herself perfectly clear regarding her feelings about his actions.

"I think what you did was a little dark Draco." She said as he relaxed his grip on her.

He decided to position her so he could look into her eyes. "There are parts of me that are dark, I've accepted that, but maybe you haven't. I'm not perfect Hermione." His tone was hurt.

She knew he was being honest. He wasn't all darkness but there were parts of him that were more complicated than others. She closed her eyes to break contact with him and laid her head back down on his chest. Sometimes, that dark part of his personality meant that he made decisions that she couldn't make and made her feel safe. Other times it scared her even though she knew he would never hurt her. "I never expected you to be perfect," she replied, wondering if she had put that pressure on him, or if he put it on himself.

"Feels like it." He said in a dejected whisper and lowered her feet to the floor so she was just sitting on his lap.

"I'm sorry it feels that way. In this situation though, there were other ways to handle this."

"None that would have worked Hermione," he started to tense up, if he had seen another way he would have taken it.

She gazed into his eyes again and considered him for a moment.

"I think you want there to have been another way, and same for me, I wanted something different. But when it comes down to it, there were just two ways he would leave you alone. I presented him with the option and let him take the one he wanted; duel to the death, or unbreakable vow." He was presenting what he felt were the logical choices.

She had tried keeping her distance from Ron, tried telling him how she felt, and Draco was right, nothing was working. Like she said, she understood why he made the choice he did, but didn't like how it made her feel. She realized she would have to come to terms with her feelings about the situation since the past couldn't be changed, and she wasn't comfortable of thinking of her life without Draco. Hermione's emotions were starting to clear. He had already been protecting her since they got closer, and he was continuing to do that as her fiancé.

She sighed. "What do you want me to say, Draco?" she was at a loss.

"Maybe that you'll cut me, Potter and Weasley a break. We're in uncharted territory, but we're trying. Can we agree to disagree?" His tone was impassive.

"Only if you can agree to no more duels to the death, unbreakable vows, or unforgivable curses!"

"I think we can make a deal," Draco said as he cracked a smile and leaned her down to kiss her.


	55. Chapter 55

Ch. 55

In the next two weeks the manor was hopping with plans that needed to be made and completed and Hermione, her mom and Narcissa had gotten the perfect wedding dress. Hermione also spent this time in communication with Victor Krum, who taught at Durmstang, to see if she could pull some strings to get Spencer into school there. The day of the wedding had finally arrived and guests were starting to show up.

The wedding was held in the interior of the house with a reception afterwards outside in the garden. The guests were seated in the main area of the house and could see Hermione as her father walked her down the stairs. It was bittersweet, giving his daughter away, but at least he knew he could trust Draco to protect her. Wendell fully approved of Draco's response regarding Ron and it was further proof that he made the right decision in giving Draco his blessing.

Many friends as well as their family were at the wedding. Ron was missing, having hoped Hermione wouldn't go through with the marriage he didn't feel right attending the ceremony. Two people Hermione didn't care for were sitting in the front row, Rita Skeeter and Spencer Octavius. Although Spencer had been helpful and did whatever Narcissa and Lucious asked of him, he was still cold to her. She had seriously been considering talking to Draco about them getting their own place.

Draco was standing up at the front, waiting for Hermione to make it down the isle. When her father placed her hand in his, he was ready.

They turned and completed the ceremony and their vows, and the crowd cheered as Draco and Hermione kissed. They did their ceremony in the evening so they could say their "I do's" just as the new year struck.

After they said their vows, the minister echoed that well known line of "you may kiss the bride," and Draco bent slightly to kiss her. The kiss lasted a moment while wolf whistles called out in the distance. After the kiss ended, Draco grabbed his arm where his dark mark was and tried not to be obvious about the pain he felt.

The minister held his hands up and pronounced loudly, "for the first time as a couple, I present to you, Mr. and Mrs. Draco Malfoy!" The guests at the party exploded into applause.

"Draco, what's wrong?" Hermione asked, concerned by the look on his face.

He controlled his features and did his best to mask what he was going through. His mom let out a shriek, followed by his father who both held their arms, but the noises were barely noticeable through all the people clapping for them. Draco did his best fake smile at Hermione, he wanted to enjoy this moment with his new bride. "It's nothing, let's go," he offered as he held out his hand.

She looked at him skeptically but then gave him a smile and grabbed his hand. "I can't believe we're finally married!"

Draco didn't reply, he was using his energy to keep himself from yelling out. He led Hermione into a hall where they signed their marriage license. When Draco signed his name he was shaking and as white as a sheet; beads of sweat were showing on his forehead.

Hermione took in his countenance and knew pressing him about it wouldn't be best right now. There was no way to talk privately with all of the guests around. She looked around for his parents and noticed they did not come into the hall with her and Draco.

Her mom came up and hugged her. "You are such a beautiful bride sweetheart," she wiped a tear from her eye. Her father also hadn't said anything yet, but his eyes looked like they were holding back tears. He went and stood over by Draco so he wouldn't have to make small talk.

"Let me be the first to congratulate you Draco," he held out his hand to shake Draco's. Draco picked up his hand and while shaking he put it in his father in laws and shook. "Draco, are you unwell?" He took in his complexion and feel of his hand.

"I'm sorry, I really might be." He uttered as he tried to make sense of what was happening in his arm.

"Wasn't your father going to be one or our witnesses?" Hermione asked him, looking up after she had just visited her mom. Was it possible that in just a few minutes, he looked even worse.

"I can go get him," Monica called out as she started to turn that direction.

"No!" Draco called out, his voice sounded desperate. "I'll go," he said as he composed himself.

"Oh, okay honey," Monica returned, wide eyed as she walked back to Hermione.

"I know it's said that marriage can change people, but this is kind of soon, isn't it?" Wendell joked as he put his hand on Draco's shoulder. "Draco is unwell Monica," he tried to explain.

Draco just nodded his assent to what Wendell had said and move back into the other room to look for his parents. He found them huddled in a corner, whispering to one another and holding their arms, where their dark marks were.

"Draco?" His father said as he approached, his face also controlled.

"Mine too," he said fearfully. "What could it mean, I haven't felt anything in years, why now? You don't think he's back, do you?"

Narcissa and Lucious both looked at one another and then back to their son. They didn't have an explanation of what was going on anymore than he did. "I'm sorry, we don't know," Narcissa replied.

His pain started ebbing away and before he knew it, it was gone. All three of them looked at one another again.

"Has it stopped?" Lucious asked his son.

"Yeah," Draco's fearful look hadn't gone away but he realized he was sweating and took the chance to wipe his brow.

They all thought about the pain and if it would return again, or when.

"Anyways, I need you to sign the certificate as a witness." He said, remembering why he was supposed to head in to find him.

Lucious nodded and followed his son silently out into the hall, Narcissa at his side.

There were no more pains through the rest of the day, meaning Draco and Hermione were able to enjoy their wedding party in peace. The group was supposed to clear out of the house and into the garden for the reception. There was live music and the decorations featured their wedding colors and bejeweled centerpieces. By the time the bride and groom made it outside, the tables were already full and everyone cheered again as they made their way to the head table.

Outside, the party lasted hours. Everyone danced and had a good time. Drinks were flowing except for Hermione and Draco, who decided after last time to give up drinking. Spencer sat with Lucious during the wedding except for when Lucious asked Hermione to dance.

"May I cut in Draco?" he asked in a reserved tone.

"Sure," Draco let go of Hermione and his father stepped in. Draco walked over to his mother and offered for her to dance. Spencer was left alone for the first time since staying at the manor.

"You look lovely," Lucious stated as he danced with his daughter-in-law. He had never given her a real, genuine compliment before.

"You don't look too bad yourself," she replied, smiling.

Lucious was a good dancer and she enjoyed herself. When the song was over he ended right where Draco was and gave Hermione back to him. Lucious took his wife's hand and led her out onto the floor.

Hermione looked over and noticed that her father had begun talking to Spencer. She knew her father wouldn't put up with his behavior and hoped no one caused a scene during the wedding. After a few more songs she noticed they were still talking and elbowed Draco slightly so he would notice too.

"Should I ask my parents to sit with him?" Draco asked in a concerned tone.

"No, they've been talking for a while, maybe this will help with his progress?" Hermione offered.

Draco dipped her and kissed her passionately on the lips. As he came up he held her to him. "I love you," he whispered in her ear.

Hermione felt like she melted in his arms. "Love you too," she said as she bushed.

Before she knew it, guests were starting to leave and she wondered if they should get some rest. As much as she didn't want the night to end, she was tired. After the last guest left, she got an owl with a letter addressed to her. She didn't recognize the handwriting.

"This isn't from you Spencer, is it?" She asked in an irritated tone as she took the note from the owl.

"No," he said as he shook his head, a guilty look appeared on his face.

She opened the letter and saw that it was from Victor, letting her know that Spencer would start school after break was over. She passed the letter over to Narcissa, who would be happy to go shopping for his school supplies.

"You got in!" Narcissa said as she looked at Spencer.

He had a disbelieving look on his face. "I did? Where?"

"To Durmstang," she read through his list of needed supplies. "Isn't it wonderful Lucious?"

Lucious clasped his hand on Spencer's shoulder, "That's great news," he reassured.

Narcissa, Lucious and Spencer walked into the house, talking about the good news

Later in the morning, after everyone had cleared out, Draco grabbed his arm where his dark mark was and took in a sharp intake of breath. He just happened to be standing next to a table that he grabbed for support.

"Draco!" Hermione came running over to him. "What is it?"

She heard a glass break in the kitchen, where Narcissa was and looked that direction.

"Go, see if she's okay," Draco said through barred teeth.

She ran over to the kitchen to check on Narcissa and she was doing the same thing her son had done, clutched something for support. What she happened to be holding at the time was a wine glass she was cleaning from the night before and it had shattered in her hand. Blood was on some of the broken pieces and Hermione wondered if there were any pieces in her hand. She began asking Narcissa questions about what was happening to her.

After talking to everyone in the family about what was going on, Hermione decided she needed some help. She wrote an urgent owl to healer Edmond from St. Mungo's to see if he might consent to check all three of them in their compromised state.

Dear Healer Edmond,

I know you probably hoped you would never hear from the Malfoy family again. There is an

urgent medical crisis and you're the only healer I trust to look at the three of them. I would

like to work together to figure out what is causing their issues and hope you can consent to

come back to the manner at your earliest convenience.

Sincerely,

Hermione

She thought about signing it Malfoy, but didn't want to make the visit more off putting for him. She remembered how she flirted with him last time in order to draw him to the manor. She felt that she was above that, but not when the stakes were so high. She sent the letter off before thinking of her next step.

She had to go to the only place she could think of to get more information on dark spells, the Hogwarts School library. "I'll be back soon, I need to get more information," she said as she kissed Draco and went outside and apparated.

Once at the school she went straight to the library and opened her small beaded hand bag. She grabbed the one she used when she was on the run with Harry and Ron, that could fit basically an endless amount of items and still be as light as a feather. Every book that seemed like it might offer some solution, she threw it into the bag. Madame Pince saw what Hermione was doing and came running over to her.

"You know the rules, you must check these books out!" She said as she tried to wrestle a book from Hermione's grip.

Hermione pulled the book harder and found herself in a tug of war. "Madame Pince, I'm warning you, let go," she said in a dangerous tone.

The librarian felt the threat on her tone and unclenched her fingers from the book.

"I have some urgent research to do, I will have your books back to you in impeccable shape as soon as I am finished," she promised.

"But these books from the restricted section are one of a kind, if anything happens, they are not replaceable." She shared her dilemma.

"Not to worry," Hermione sighed as she looked the librarian in the eyes. "Have I ever forgot to turn a book in, or not taken care of it?" She didn't have time for this.

"But there's a limit of books one can take!" she continued to plead.

"Not for teachers!" Hermione exclaimed. "Excuse me!" she said when the woman refused to get out of her way, like a toddler throwing a tantrum.

Madame Pince stomped away and Hermione continued throwing books into her bag until she had about 50 of the most relevant ones she could find. She walked right past the front counter with her head held high on the way out while the librarian tutted in her direction. She walked back out of the castle, not catching a single colleague on way, to her relief. When she walked far enough into Hogsmead to be able to apparate, she did so, and found herself back in the manor gardens.

She headed back inside and pulled out the 50 books on the kitchen table and waited, reading, while waiting for Edmond to arrive.

She told each of them to grab a book and find anything they could about spells on how to make the curse marks. If she could find that, maybe she could find a way to undo the magic, or get some answers about what was happening to them. They all sat around the table reading through the books and trying to find a solution while clutching their arms.

After hours of reading Lucious closed his book. "Hermione," he began.

She looked up at him as she turned the page to the book she was looking through.

"We're talking about the dark lord here, do you really think we will find the secrets to his power in some old textbooks?" He asked skeptically.

Both Draco and Narcissa looked at Hermione, they had been thinking the same thing.

"You never know! He had to start somewhere learning all the spells he knew, didn't he? It's not like it's impossible he learned these things from books." She said as she calmly looked back down at her pages and continued to flip. "We don't need the exact spell, even something similar or something that reminds you of it, he might have done a combination…" Hermione offered.

Lucious sighed and went back to flipping through the pages and set the book down when he was finished. He got up and left the room and Hermione ignored him.

A few minutes later she was done with her book and Lucious came back in with a piece of parchment.

"This was everything he did when he gave me my mark, I'm not sure if that would be helpful…" he added.

Hermione took the parchment he offered and looked it over for clues. "I don't know, we'll hold on to it, it might come in handy."

There was a knocking at the door that filled the quiet house with noise. "I'll get it," Narcissa said as she got up and left the group. Draco and Lucious looked up and relief washed over them as they saw healer Edmond come into the room.

Hermione was also very excited he had consented to come, she wasn't all together sure he would. "Healer Edmond, you came!"

"Of course I did, when Hermione Granger asks you to do something, I think you should do it." He showed that his respect for her was the reason for the visit.

She beamed at him and he blushed.

"It's actually Malfoy now, but thank you for coming on such short notice." Draco added, standing up to greet their guest.

"Not a worry, I appreciate you sending me potions when I'm in need." He tried to be respectful of Draco's work since that was the only thing he could really say about him that was nice. He still didn't like Draco very much, maybe because he was jealous of his relationship with Hermione.

Draco nodded.

"So, what is this urgent business you wrote about?"

"It has to do with the three of them actually, you see, it's their dark marks…" She started when his complexion changed to white and a disgusted look settled on his face. "I know it's a lot to take in and probably something you don't want to deal with, but there is something to be learned here. I know you like a challenge."

"I hope you're not suggesting that I dabble in the dark arts to help?" His disgust was not disguised, even for her.

"Certainly not!" she matched his tone. "I'm so sorry if I offended you, I just was trying to compliment your courage." She blushed also, but it had to do with her anger at his comment.

"Forgive me, I forgot who I was talking to," he dropped the tone and look on his face. "Please, tell me what you had in mind."

She took a deep breath. "I am researching the curse itself to figure out what spell or spells concocted these dark marks. Draco?" She motioned for him to come over to her.

As he did, she grabbed his arm and pulled his sleeve off, while she did, Draco flinched. He never showed it to anyone and he always did his best to keep it covered. To have her uncover it and poke around at it just seemed unusual.

"Does that hurt?" She asked at his flinching.

"No, just strange to have the sleeve off." He said as few words as possible. He didn't like how the healer acted around his wife.

"He has been having pain ever since the wedding. The pain doesn't seem to be coming from anywhere but the mark and we're not sure why it's even happening in the first place."

"Hmm…" he said as he poked at the mark and asked Draco if any spots hurt. "No, it comes on suddenly and it's like the mark burns. It does that for a while and then it will stop suddenly again."

"Odd…" Edmond sighed as he just looked the mark over. "I've never dealt with anything like this, so I'm not really sure where to begin…" His voice was distant, like he was thinking out loud.

"Do you think you could run some tests and maybe we could rule some things out?"

"I don't even know what tests…" he looked at Hermione as he slowly pulled out his wand.

She grabbed Draco's other hand and squeezed it. "We'll figure this out, don't worry."

His heart felt lighter. "I know you will." He had full confidence in her. A moment later his mark started burning again and he grabbed his arm back from the healer.

"Edmond, do it," she urged while Draco tried to unclench his hand from his arm and closed his eyes as Edmond took it. He felt the spells the healer used to examine him, but they didn't cause him any pain; the dark mark already had that covered. His parents were clutching their arms as they looked over at Draco being examined, dealing with pain of their own.

"I'm seeing that the mark is attacking, but it's only attacking on the surface level of the skin, or just below it…for now," he added. "I don't know if that will get more advanced, it's too early to know." He kept using spells to see what was going on.

They waited patiently to hear what else the healer came up with. She gave Draco a sad look and then went over to stand with his parents. They were frozen, not sure if anything was going to come of having the healer check the mark.

"Have you noticed anything that happens to set it off?" He looked over to see where Hermione and gone and noticed Draco's parents holding their arms. "Wait, do you all hurt at the same time?"

"Yes," Narcissa replied solemnly.

He appeared taken aback and put Draco's arm down as he took a deep breath. He pulled out his wand again and did a charm on Draco's arm. A cooling sensation filled his arm, except for where the dark mark was, it was still painful. "Did that help?"

"No," Draco replied.

The healer tried a few more spells and nothing had worked.

"I don't want to use you as a guinea pig, let me think on this and get back to you. I want you to focus on what is happening around you when the pain starts."

Draco nodded his head.

Hermione thanked the healer for coming and walked with him outside to the garden.

"Edmond, before you go…"

He turned around to face Hermione and noticed they were alone. He took a step closer to her as he sheepishly looked around for her husband.

"I hope you're less uncomfortable here than you were last time."

He delayed his reply. "It's always a pleasure to see you."

"I appreciate that. I appreciate you being willing to come here. Not many people would, knowing their history. I'm glad that you're different."

"I'm not sure what I can do for them, if anything." He replied.

"Just that you're willing to help find a solution means a lot, any little detail could lead us to a breakthrough." She answered his doubt in a way that showed her passion. "I'll write if I figure anything out."

"Um, it might be best if you didn't and only told me in person. I wouldn't want something like this being intercepted." They both knew that kind of thing wasn't likely at all, but the truth was that he didn't want to be seen helping the Malfoy's. "I can check up on him when I pick up potions for St. Mungo's."

Hermione nodded. "Thank you again."

He took a few steps into the garden, took one last look at Hermione, and apparated on the spot. She headed into the house and met her family huddled together talking.

"Done flirting with the healer?" Lucious questioned her. He seemed slightly upset, but not very angry.

"How do you think I got him to come here in the first place? Let me reassure you that your name and reputation wasn't enough to get him to come." She spat. "It's not like I enjoy the attention Lucious."

"Didn't look that way to me," he said as he sat down with his wife.

Hermione ignored him and looked at Draco. "I'm sorry Draco, did it hurt very badly?" She saw he had his sleeve back on and she went to hug him.

"No, it didn't hurt at all. But I'm not sure there will be any value to him coming. There's no way he understands the dark magic that created this mark, he was completely out of his league. And I can't really tolerate the way he looks at you." He answered honestly.

She looked up and met her husband's eyes. "We agreed to talk about your treatment when he's picking potions up from you. I settled that in the garden with him before he left. I know you don't like him, but we don't have many options."

He pulled Hermione into a hug. "I know. You're doing everything you can and I love you for it." He kissed her forehead.


	56. Chapter 56

Ch. 56

Over the next few days Hermione read through the rest of the books, to no avail. She realized that she wasn't going to find a quick solution to what was bothering them. By the third day, Draco sat down at the table to talk to her.

"Hermione, I know you're trying to find something that will help, but this is supposed to be our honey moon, we haven't been alone since we've been married."

She realized he was right and closed her book, she only had 5 more to go and debated asking him if she could finish the rest, but it was like he read her mind.

"These will be here when we get back." He said as he moved them off the table and sat them on a shelf.

She sighed. "What would you like to do? We hadn't planned on going anywhere, except for meeting the owners of the shrieking shack. But we missed meeting them!" she had just realized and jumped out of her chair. The house she cared about was so far out of her mind now that she was worried about Draco.

"I wrote to the company, they want to meet us tomorrow, which is why I think we should make some plans to get away."

"Where would we go?" She asked.

"Anywhere you want!"

"Rome, France?" She questioned him to see if he was serious.

"We can leave tomorrow," he smiled as he hugged his bride. "But I think you deserve to rest after all the work you've put in Hermione."

They walked up to the room and while he got out his pajamas, she dropped her clothes to the floor. He turned around to look at her and his eyes grew wide. She twirled her hair around her finger, "I don't want you to hold back anymore."

He took off his shirt and closed the distance between his wife and himself and began to kiss her without any reserve.

In the morning they woke to the sun shining in on them from the window. He had Hermione cuddled up to him and laying her head on his chest. He moved his hand through her wavy hair and off of her shoulder and then he squeezed her even closer to him. Last night had been amazing and well worth waiting for. She started kissing his chest as she woke up and they took their time getting out of bed before coming down to breakfast.

Draco's parents were eating when they both came down. Draco was smiling and Hermione kept looking over at him smiling back.

"You two are very happy," Narcissa remarked, smiling at seeing her son so happy.

"We're going to start our honey moon today." Draco announced in between bites.

"Have you decided where you would go?" Lucious asked them.

"First Rome, then France, and wherever Draco wants to take me," Hermione said as she smiled.

"Do you think it's a good idea to travel while you're having issues with the mark?" Lucious asked.

"Who knows how long this will last, I don't want to put my life on hold forever because of it, I want to enjoy being newlyweds."

"You'll never regret having too much fun," his mother encouraged to her husband's disapproving looks.

Draco smiled at her as he finished his breakfast.

"I'm going to pack, do you want me to get a bag together for you too?" Hermione asked.

"I can do mine up," he replied.

"I can get it, I'm going to be in the room anyways, it's no trouble." She insisted.

"Alright," he relented. She squeezed his shoulder before heading to his room to pack.

"Just be careful Draco," his father drawled. "Don't let your guard down when you're out." Lucious wished his son would change his mind about going.

"I won't, we'll be careful. I don't think either of us is as well known in other places in the world as we are here." Draco mentioned.

"You might be surprised. The dark lord had connections in many places."

"Uggg," Draco didn't want to hear anymore and scooted his chair out from the table. "I'm heading out, I'll see you in about a week, before we head back to school."

His dad nodded while his mother got up to give him a hug. He met Hermione at the front door and they apparated to their first destination.

After about 5 days of seeing the sights, they were looking forward to being back where the pace was a little slower. They loved all the things they saw and both had a great time traveling together, but it was time to come home.

When they apparated back to the garden, Lucious was outside walking around in it, enjoying the scenery.

"Father," Draco called out as he walked up to him.

"Did you have a nice time? You've got some sun I see." Lucious commented on his son's slight sunburn.

"Yeah, we spent a lot of time outside, walking around, enjoying the sights." He offered.

"You should say hi to your mother, she's been missing you too." He said, dropping a hint to his own feelings in the process. Draco put his arm around his father and hugged him while Lucious gave a slight smile. "Hermione? A word?"

Hermione came over to Lucious while Draco went inside to see his mom.

"I was thinking, we should have your parents over. We can have one big dinner to send you both off back to school. What do you think?" After having no company for a week, Lucious was getting desperate for people to talk to. He didn't mind her parents as much as he thought he would.

She was taken aback. "Sure, I think they would like that very much. I'll have to write to the ministry to see if we can apparate with them."

"No need, I already took the liberty, I wanted to be prepared." He had everything covered.

She gave him a skeptical look. "Is there something behind this, because it seems unusual…"

"I'm just trying to do something nice for you, but if you don't like the idea, we don't have to. That is why I asked you before telling you I had things in place. I could always cancel the transportation plans with the ministry and no one would be affected." He offered.

She felt a little guilty for not being more trusting. "I'm sorry, it was a very thoughtful idea and I'm looking forward to it." She smiled as her father in law gave her one of his elusive but warm smiles in return.

After they had settled in and unpacked their bags, Hermione told Draco of the offer his father made to her in the garden.

"He's coming a long way," Draco remarked, surprised that his father had suggested that.

"It would be nice to have both of our parents together when we talk about our trip." She mentioned.

He stepped closer to her and leaned in to kiss her. "It's settled then?" he asked.

She nodded her head slightly as she kissed him back.

They were both lost in the moment until there was a knock on their door and they broke apart. Draco went to answer it and it was Narcissa.

"I'm going to be sending Spencer off to school tomorrow, I was hoping we could all have dinner together since it's his last night?"

"Sure, we just have to head out by 8 or so," Draco mentioned.

Narcissa nodded her head and left.

"What are we doing at 8?" Hermione asked.

"We had to go meet the owners of the shrieking shack tonight," he reminded.

"That's tonight? I totally forgot!" her eyes were wide. "I'm glad you remembered. I hope they like all the changes we made," she said as she frowned. She had finally come around to understand that having that home just wasn't in the cards for her and Draco.

"I'm sure they will, but we better get down," he said, changing the subject.

When they got down to dinner Spencer was in good spirits, smiling while Lucious spoke to him.

"We found what we needed in Diagon Alley, but there were some things that we weren't sure about." Spencer mentioned.

"Such as?" Draco asked as he took a seat at the table.

"Well, it was easy to find a broom, I got the best one," he said as he took a bite of a salad Narcissa had put in front of him.

"Of course!" Lucious said in a pompous tone. Hermione rolled her eyes.

"But, we tried to find some of the potions ingredients, those were a bit trickier." He finished.

"What did they ask him to come in with?" Draco asked his mother.

She lightly coughed. "Durmstang has long been known as a school that teaches dark magic in their curriculum. Keeping with that reputation there were potion elements used for spells that wouldn't be acceptable to teach students at schools such as Hogwarts."

Hermione nodded her head in understanding and continued to eat, she knew from Viktor long ago that this was something the school prided itself on, teaching all magic to its students so as not to be perceived as biased and restrictive. However, Hogwarts never had that reputation. She wasn't sure which ideology was better. Maybe if she learned more, she would be able to crack the code on the dark mark that was hurting Draco, she thought.

"True," Draco said. "When you come back on break it would be nice to catch up to what they teach so we can compare notes," he said as he smiled at Spencer.

"Sure, I'll be back for the next holiday, I'll write to you and let you know when I'll be home." He smiled back. It was exactly like Draco had a younger brother, and like Draco's parent's were enjoying their second chance at raising a child.

They finished the rest of the time talking of light topics and Hermione gave Lucious her answer to have her parents over sometime that week so they could all visit.

"Great," Narcissa said, "I'll write to Monica and see what they would prefer to eat for dinner."

"That's very kind, thank you," Hermione said.

As it got closer to 8, Draco let everyone know they were heading out.

"Oh, before you do," Lucious said as he eyed Spencer. "Is there something you would like to say?" he asked.

"What? Me?" he looked back at Lucious, uncertainty on his features.

Lucious raised his eyebrows and looked at Hermione.

"Oh, yeah," Spencer said as he stood up from the table. "I just wanted to say that I'm sorry for how I treated you. You're not that bad." He admitted.

Hermione wasn't sure if any of it was genuine, she just smiled back at him.

"And, I want to thank you for all you did to get me into Durmstang." His cheeks flushed and his thanks was very different from the one he uttered just a moment ago. She could see he meant it.

"Spencer," she said in a serious tone. "I think you're capable of making the right decisions. I had to vouch for your character, but if I hear about any attacks, specifically on muggles or muggle borns, I will not hesitate to withdraw my recommendation." She said severely.

"Hermione, he's learned his lesson, haven't you?" Lucious said reproachfully to her and looked at Spencer.

"I have, and again, I'm sorry." He replied.

Narcissa and Lucious were frowning at Hermione. She noticed and tried to think of something encouraging to say to the boy.

"It's in the past Spencer." As she said it, she made a conscious effort to really forgive him for what he had done. "Good luck at school, I'll see you on your break!" She said as she smiled at him.

Lucious and Narcissa seemed to like that better since their frowns were gone. She left Draco to have a moment with him and headed out to the garden to wait for him. After a moment he joined her and they both disappeared as a pop sound filled the garden.

They showed up on the grounds to the shack. Since the school didn't own it anymore, there was a small spot in the back that allowed for a few people to apparate to.

"I guess we're a few minutes early," Hermione said as she looked around and didn't see anything.

"Yeah, we can give them a few minutes," Draco said with a smile as he turned away from Hermione.

After a few more minutes no one came and Hermione started to get a little impatient. "They asked us to come during our honeymoon, but they couldn't show up on time?"

Draco walked up to the door and tried the handle, the door was unlocked. "Maybe we should wait inside?"

"Draco, is that wise? Do you think that will be okay? What if they come to meet us and find us in their house?" She asked.

He didn't answer but proceeded inside, and she followed closely behind him.

The room they walked into was dark, Hermione pulled out her wand to light the way. "Lumos," she whispered.

They walked into a farther room and there were candles lit all around the room and a little table in the middle of the room with a candle on it. Draco turned to Hermione, the light from the candles put a soft glow on his face.

He could see Hermione had a confused look on her face.

"I don't want to have any secrets from one another," he began.

"Nor do I," she replied.

"There isn't anyone coming to meet us tonight…"

"I don't understand, the owner's cancelled?"

"No, I…" He ran his hand through his hair as he looked at his wife. "I bought this house, it's my wedding gift to you. I know how much it means to you."

She stood there with a dumbfounded look on her face. "You bought…" she repeated his words but they hadn't sunk in.

He smiled at her and nodded his head.

She continued to stare at him as tears streamed down her face. She brought her hand up to cover her mouth as her shoulders started shaking.

He reached out and put his arms around her and pulled her in for a tight hug. "It's too late to return it now," he joked.

She took a few deep breaths to center herself and wiped her eyes as she looked into Draco's eyes. "This…this is so sweet Draco. I just can't believe that this whole time…I had no idea."

"It was hard to keep it from you, I almost let it slip a few times," he admitted.

"You did? I'm glad you didn't," she said as she started to let her eyes wander. It was nice that they both had a hand in decorating the place the way they wanted, it was a perfect fusion of both of their styles. "Did your father know, he was asking questions about this place, wasn't he?"

Draco smiled. "No one aside from the title company and now yourself know."

"That's why they hid who the owner was," Hermione said as she looked from Draco to one of the candles he had lit. "I was so frustrated by the fact that they wouldn't tell me."

"I know, that was really tough for me, seeing you upset like that." He rubbed his hand on her upper back while he replied.

She smiled and then went back to looking at the candle. The soft yellow glow lit up her face. "I love you Draco." Then her smile faded slightly.

"What is it? Something's wrong," he said as he brushed her hair off her shoulder.

"I didn't get you a wedding present," she replied. "I didn't even think about what to get you," her tone was dejected.

He got close to her again and lightly held her face in his hands. "You made me your husband, it was more that I ever dreamed possible," he said seriously. His heart felt full as he gazed at her and then he shouted. His hands fell from her face and he grabbed his dark mark again.

Hermione just took in his expression. She had asked the first few times he had pains if he was alright, but she had started to accept that this was just something that was going to happen now. She reached out her hand and placed it on his shoulder.

He tried not to look at her as he waited for the pain to ebb away. He thought he was starting to notice a pattern with the pains that came and went, they seemed to attack him only when his heart felt full from Hermione. He wanted to test his theory.

"Sorry about that," he said.

"Don't worry Draco, we'll figure this out," she promised. She had already read so many books to try to crack the curse but it didn't seem like there were any leads at the moment.

"I'm going to test something," he said as he brought his hand up to her face. "I love you."

"Test? What do you mean?" She gave him a quizzical look.

"Are you surprised by your gift?" He asked, turning the subject back around.

Her look softened and her eyes began to glisten. "Yes, very. It's the nicest thing anyone has ever done for me," she said as she blushed.

His heart felt full and the pain started again. His hand dropped down to grasp the dark mark on his arm. After a few moments it was gone again.

Her face was full of concern again. Draco had a look of anger on his face.

"I think I know what's causing my pain," he said with contempt in his voice.

"What is it? Tell me Draco," she said as she bent down and sat on the ground, putting her own hand over his. He felt this act was sweet and it made him happy, and then more pain set in.

Voldemort hadn't wanted his followers to put anyone before him, especially not when they had pledged a life of service to him. Somewhere infused in the mark was a punishment for anyone who chose a life other than him. But he still hadn't pinpointed the cause.

"If I tell you, you have to promise not to leave me," he said to her seriously.

"I'm your wife Draco, I could never leave you!" she replied.

"Promise me Hermione," he pushed as he grabbed his mark tighter due to pain.

"I promise, now tell me!"

"The dark lord must have added something to this spell that would hurt someone who chose to leave him, not put him as a priority. Every time I feel intense feelings of love towards you, I feel extreme pain."

Hermione had a horrified look on her face. "This is because of me," she said in a whisper as she let go of his hand.

"You promised," he reminded her.

"I can't be the thing that causes you suffering Draco," she pleaded.

"We will find a way through this. We can find a way through anything." He said as he held her hand.

Her look of concern didn't melt away, but she nodded her head. "This started when we got married, when we said our vows, before then, there was no issue," she said guiltily.

"So it was the vows then," he said out loud, he wished he hadn't after hearing the guilt in Hermione's tone. "We can use this information, don't be sad Hermione, we have a lead now."

She smiled lightly at Draco. "I guess you're right," she said as she sighed.

He gazed at her and then grabbed his arm again, wincing. "Yep, I need to learn how to control my emotions better."


	57. Chapter 57

Ch. 57

Over the next few weeks Draco and Hermione settled into their new place and resumed their posts back at school. Draco was able to let his parents know what was going on, and Lucious spent his time going through books that might have anything to do with spells from vows or promises so he could alert Hermione.

At first the dark mark wasn't much of an issue when they were around one another at school. He was good at controlling his gaze and keeping his behavior professional. It was more when they were alone together at home that he had pains almost constantly.

Hermione was cooking something for dinner when Draco made a slight sound that meant he was in pain. She looked over at him.

"Even now? When I'm cooking?"

"Yes," he said. "I just have really strong feelings for you," he forced a smile.

"I'll never accuse you of not loving me, after watching you suffer like this," she said dryly. She wanted to reach out and comfort him, but knew that would only make the effect worse. She broke eye contact and looked away.

She had received a few spells from Lucious to look into, but they were dark magic spells and she didn't know the effects of them. They looked very complicated. She had debated if she should even show them to Draco or not, she didn't expect him to have a good reaction to what she had to show him.

"I have some leads of spells I want you to look over," she said as she set his father's letters to her down on the table and pushed them over to him.

He picked them up and looked at them and quickly set them back down. "Absolutely not, you're not going to do any of these kind of spells, this is dark magic." He gave her a disgusted look.

She wrung her hands for a moment. "Draco, I've put a lot of thought into this, do you really think that the spell that is causing you pain can be defeated using the magic they teach at school? We will have to undo it with dark magic Draco. I can learn, I'll do it safely."

"But it's not safe, that magic is unstable, it's dangerous. We're not going that route." He ripped up the letters and took the shreds to the other room and threw them in the fire.

When he came back into the room Hermione had her back to him, but her eyebrows were raised. She had made up her mind.

Draco feared as much and planned not to bring the subject up again.

A few days later when they were eating breakfast in the Great Hall, Draco had one of his pains again. He was good at controlling himself so most people did not know there was anything going on, but Hermione did. She avoided his gaze.

"I have to stop by the library before class today," she said as she got up. "I'll see you later today," she said as she pushed her chair in.

She went to the library and when she got there, Madame Pince made a tutting noise. She still had not forgiven Hermione's behavior after the wedding and was holding a grudge, even after the books were returned. Hermione made her usual stroll through the restricted section, but this time looked for a book that might contain some of the spells that Draco saw fit to burn in the fireplace. Those might be the key to getting an answer for him. She found a few books on dark magic that she could learn spells from and walked right past Madame Pince's desk on her way out, without stopping.

When she got to her classroom, she bumped into Draco. "Oh, hi," she said as she moved the palm of her hand over the titles of the books. Instead of looking happy, she looked like she was caught.

"Hi?" Draco replied. "I just wanted to let you know that I'll make dinner tonight, I want to do something nice for you."

"That's very sweet," she looked up at him but still wasn't smiling.

"Are you feeling okay?" he worried that all the issues he was having lately had been stressing her out.

"I'm fine," she said as he looked at her like he didn't believe her. "Really!" she protested.

"Here, let me take those for you," he reached out and she didn't let go.

"Hermione, you're upset with me?" He asked in a dejected tone. "Please, let me take your books?" he asked gently.

"But you're going to be late to lessons Draco," she said with some urgency.

"We still have time," he said as he grabbed them away from her. He noticed she was staring down at the books and as he caught her eye, he looked down at them as well. He shuffled the books one on top of another, taking in the titles as his eyebrows raised.

"Draco, it's not…" she stopped when Draco gave her an icy stare.

He walked into the classroom without another word and laid the books on her desk and walked out.

That evening she met him outside the Great Hall. "Are we heading home?" she wondered if he was still going to cook dinner.

"I've changed my mind," he mentioned coldly as he walked into the hall and took a seat at the table.

She resolved that she couldn't talk to Draco about the books, or the spells she was working to learn. It just wasn't helping things between them when they didn't agree.

They both sat through dinner without so much as a word to one another.

The next morning when she woke up, she reflected on how strange it was to go to sleep next to Draco while he was angry with her. She wasn't used to the silence or the cold behavior, but at least he wasn't in pain at the moment. She wasn't sure if it was the stress between them, or something else that made her sick that morning. She didn't even want to smell food and decided not to go to the Great Hall with Draco when he asked if she was going to eat breakfast.

She felt sick the rest of the week and Draco was starting to notice her getting sick in the morning and not wanting to eat breakfast. He decided he needed to talk to her about it, but whenever she wasn't eating, she was reading her books to get some knowledge to crack his dark mark curse.

That evening as they got home, he stopped giving her the silent treatment and pulled her book out of her face. "I don't want to keep going the way we are, not talking to one another…"

"That wasn't my choice Draco, that was yours." She mentioned as she tried to grab for her book back.

He snapped it shut. "I think we need to talk about how you've been sick lately," he set the book behind him on a table, out of her reach, and took a seat next to her.

She sighed. "It's nothing, I've just had a rough week," she explained.

"Hermione, have you considered that you could be pregnant?"

"Pregnant?" she said in shock, "I don't think so, my body doesn't feel much different. I think I might just have a virus."

He raised his eyebrows at her.

"Really Draco, I'll be fine." She reassured.

He winced as he got up from his seat, not wanting to add any stress to her.

"This is why I need to find out how to stop this Draco. It's almost better to have you upset with me right now to cause you less pain."

"Is that what you think," he said coldly.

She grabbed her stomach and ran to the bathroom, the feeling of being sick was getting worse.

Draco walked after her and stood outside the closed bathroom door. When she was done he was right there, his eyes full of concern.

"We're leaving for St. Mungo's," he announced, not giving her a choice as he handed her a jacket.

She nodded her head and grabbed her jacket while he pulled her in for a hug and rubbed his hand up and down her back.

He let go and pulled her hand and led her out of the house and up to the spot where they both could apparate.

Once at St. Mungo's Draco checked in at the front for Hermione and transfigured a paper into a small bin for her in case she was sick again.

"Thank you Draco," she said as he winced and did his best to hide his pain.

"Are you sure you don't need to see a healer too?" The witch at the counter asked.

"No, I'm alright," Draco said stiffly as he led his wife to a chair while she waited to be called.

After they were called back, a healer came in to see them. He was tall and seemed like he was probably in his 50's or 60's based on his tired appearance. Even though his face was tired, he still wore a smile. He did a double take at Draco at first and then one more look back at Hermione. He walked forward to Draco with his hand outstretched.

"I'm healer Edward Bones," he said as Draco shook his hand. He turned to Hermione and shook hers as well. "I believe you're the head of house for my son, we've actually spoken before, although only through letters." He said as he gave her a sheepish smile.

"Bones, you don't mean…" Draco began when Hermione actually laughed.

"Of course, Travis's father, how nice to meet you!" she said enthusiastically.

"It would be better if you weren't ill, how about you tell me what has been going on." His demeanor was friendly and kind.

Hermione shared very little while Draco did most of the talking. He mentioned her missing meals due to feeling ill and that she'd had some recent behavior changes.

"Is that true," he said as he pulled out his wand to start examining.

"I haven't had much of an appetite, but I assure you that any behavior changes are due to being frustrated with my husband. I'm perfectly fine other than feeling sick once in a while." She gave Draco a cold stare.

"Leaving the honeymoon stage, we've all been there. Go ahead and lie back," he said, chuckling, as he started his exam. He moved his wand up and down the length of her body and within a few short minutes he was done. "Congratulations, you're going to have a baby," he said while smiling even bigger than before.

Hermione looked at him blankly while Draco smiled widely. "I knew it! I'm going to be a father!" he said, excited.

Hermione didn't seem to share his excitement. She hadn't expected this to happen so soon into their marriage. She had truly only thought she was sick and hadn't planned for what a pregnancy would look like for her. Would she have to give up her career? How would they plan around this? Would Draco's curse get worse after the baby was born?

She looked over at Draco to see him beaming, so happy that he didn't even notice her reaction about the news. She began to smile, thinking about her husband's capacity to love and his big heart that he mostly carried inside a grumpy false façade.

The school year was reaching an end as Draco and Hermione had been married about six months. She hadn't yet started to show, but she was thinking a lot about how she would balance her career and having a child.

She had thrown herself into her research more to deal with her emotions, and still had not talked to Draco about the dark or the spells she was contemplating. He was making plans for the nursery and setting it up, and seeing him construct it made it all seem more real to Hermione.

With the way the school year fell, she would likely be missing half of the school year to have and recover from having the baby. She hoped to work as close to her due date as possible.

After class was over, she walked down to the dungeons while she processed everything. She looked down at her stomach as she walked and started to get used to the idea that things were going to change.

As she got to the dungeon she saw Draco putting things away. Things had been distant still, but he was less cold since he found out that she was pregnant. She walked in and felt that distance in the awkward silence between them. She hadn't come to get him for dinner in months, they had been meeting outside the Great Hall and going in together.

"Hermione?" He asked as she stood in his classroom. "Is everything okay?" he looked down at her stomach and then back up to her face.

"Oh, I'm fine," she said as she put one hand on her stomach to reassure him. "I just wanted to talk tonight, do you think we could have dinner at the house?"

He was caught off guard. "Sure," he said as she turned to leave. "Wait," he said as he walked closer to her. He realized that his being upset with her had only driven them farther apart. "I miss this," he admitted.

Hermione gave him a curt nod and left the dungeon, a tear spilling out of her eye as she went. She was starting to wonder if things were going to be this distant forever.

Draco caught up to her just in the hallway and called out to her. "Hermione," she stopped but didn't want him to see that she was crying. He had put distance between them to get her to stop looking for clues to the dark mark. The risk of losing her was too great, but he was already starting to lose her and he could feel it. "Let's walk home together," he said gently as he put his hand on her shoulders. He gazed at her face and saw that she had tears on it, and he also knew why.

He had a guilty look on his face and flinched as he felt more love for his wife.

"Draco," she said as she grabbed his hand. As much as he had been cold to her, she still loved him more than anything. She would do everything in her power to end this curse.

"I'm fine," he muttered.

"But you're not!" she shot back at him.

He met her eyes again and saw the firm resolve on her features. He knew what she was thinking, what had been the cause of their fighting since they said their vows. He moved his hand so she would let go of it. "We will find another way," he said coldly as she teared up again.

"There is no other way Draco!" Her temper was rising.

"Do we have to do this here?" His temper was rising also.

"We don't have to do this at all," she said in a cold tone that had matched his own as she walked away from him.

"What does that mean?" he asked as she rounded the corner. "Hermione?" He stood there reflecting on her tone and how she never had sounded so angry with him. He doubted if he went home at this point that there would be any dinner at all. His stomach growled as he thought about visiting the Hogwarts kitchen, but then knew things were not going well with his wife and he would have more problems if he didn't go after her.


	58. Chapter 58

Ch. 58

Back at the shrieking shack, Hermione was gathering clothes and packing a bag. She was nearly done when Draco walked back into the house. He watched her for a few moments and when she didn't speak to him he started.

"What's this," he said with a smile.

"I'm glad this is amusing to you Draco," she replied as she stuffed a few more things in a bag and closed it.

"You can't be serious? We're just having a disagreement, don't you think this is extreme?" He sounded irritated.

"Do I look like I'm not serious? I'm not going to sit here and watch you suffer anymore and have this cold distance between us." She walked past him and into the bathroom to grab a few more things.

"Is it possible that this could be hormones, you know, from the pregnancy?" He had been so busy trying not to focus on their problems that he was ignoring them completely. He knew there was truth to what Hermione said, but he figured they would just get over things eventually.

Hermione's wand went up and eight yellow canaries circled above her head before he could even blink his eyes. The birds flew at him like they were thrown like darts to a target, one by one.

"What the! Ow!" he yelled out as she left the bathroom. After a minute he heard a loud pop noise and knew she had apparated.

The canaries were gone, and Hermione was gone, and he was left alone with his thoughts, and, he just realized, no appetite.

The next day Hermione was back at school teaching, but did not join Draco in the Great Hall for breakfast or dinner. Draco thought about going to see her after class, but figured he would give her some space and see if she wanted to come to him to talk. After the third day passing this way, he knew he would have to make the first move.

He ended his last class early so he could stop by the kitchen and get something for Hermione to eat, and made it to her class just as it got out.

"Professor, a word?" he asked as her students filed out. She raised her eyebrows at seeing him but offered no reply.

After the students were gone he passed a plate to her that had some of her favorites. "I haven't seen you at meal times, I've been trying to respect your space, but I want to make sure you're eating."

She reached out and took the plate from him. "That was very sweet of you." Her tone was kind as she set the plate down on her desk. She turned around and grabbed her jacket from the back of her chair as she prepared to leave.

"Do you think we can talk?" He asked.

"I've tried, but you haven't seemed that interested. I have to get going…" she said as she grabbed the plate and headed towards the door.

In a moment she was gone again and he needed to develop another strategy to talk to her.

That evening, he paced the floor at home trying to figure out what to do. He decided he would go to Hermione's parent's house, where he was sure she was at, and see if he couldn't talk to her there.

He apparated down the block so he could respect Hermione's wishes of having her privacy. He knocked at the door and her father answered. "Draco, come on in!" he said in a friendly tone.

"…Thanks," Draco returned, not sure what awaited him inside.

When he came in, he found Hermione and her mom talking in the front room, Hermione's eyes were red and it looked like she had gone through a pile of tissues. She looked over and saw Draco and her eyes narrowed. Draco's eyes widened.

"I'm glad you're here," Wendell whispered. "You need to fix this," he said as he clapped Draco on the shoulder.

Draco nodded and approached Hermione. "Can we talk?" he asked point blank.

"He's come all this way," Monica added sweetly to her daughter.

"It's not like that for wizards, mom." Hermione tried to explain while she wiped her eyes.

"I'll go get you both some tea," she offered as she left the room. Wendell walked with her into the kitchen.

Draco's features were grayish. He hadn't slept well the last few nights, wondering how things were going to work out between him and his wife. She was the best thing in his life, and now they were going to have a child. Things should be wonderful, but he was letting the dark mark infect his life.

Hermione sat in a recliner and was cleaning up some tissues that were in a pile so they weren't as noticeable. Draco walked closer to her and kneeled down in front of her so they could talk. He noticed she had about four books on dark magic that she was reading through, no doubt still researching how to help him.

She followed his eyes to see what he was looking at and returned to look at him, waiting to see what he would say.

"I've really messed up," he began. Seeing her eyes so red and puffy, and feeling so alienated from her due to their disagreement, made him question if it was worth it. "I'm losing you Hermione," he said as his eyes started to get red and he did his best to hold in his emotions.

"Yes, you are," she agreed.

"I can't let that happen, I'll do anything. I need you." He said as he stood up and started pacing again.

"I don't know what you want me to say Draco. You've ignored me for months, you've barely spoken to me except about the baby. It feels like you don't want to be around me." She started crying again and Draco handed her a tissue.

"But that's not true. It's not that I don't want to be around you. I can't be around you without thinking about how much I love you. That's not your fault, but then it hurts. So, I have distanced myself until we can figure something out." He tried to explain.

"I've been searching for a solution," she said when Draco cut her off.

"A solution that could cost us everything. I'm not willing to risk you or the baby's safety to do this Hermione. You know how I feel about dark magic." His tone was irritated again as he grabbed his arm. "I appreciate all the effort that you're putting in, but this is likely permanent. It's the price I pay for getting this stupid thing to begin with." He admitted.

"That's not true, I won't accept that Draco."

"And that's part of the problem Hermione, we just aren't going to see eye to eye on this. It's out of the question."

"I found a spell," she said as she stood up and walked over to him.

"What kind of spell?"

She stared at him, they both knew what type it would have to be.

"No." he waived his hands out in front of his body.

"It's the spell, the exact one he used to make the dark mark." She replied, more tears leaking from her eyes.

Draco stopped in his tracks and stared at his wife. He wanted to ask several questions but knew once he asked them, she might think he supported what she was doing.

They were both still while he processed what she said.

"I'm not saying yes," he started to clarify when Hermione cut him off.

"I can't keep going like this. I don't think you can either." She reached out for his hands and he brought his arms around her, holding her in a way that he hadn't in months. He shook slightly and she could tell his arm was hurting him again. "It's only getting worse Draco. What if you aren't able to hold our baby?"

She pulled back to look into his face, and saw that he was wiping tears away.

"Draco, we have to do something," she pressed, "I'm losing you too," she sobbed into his chest.

He nodded his head and hugged her tighter. She was right, in all of this, they had temporarily lost one another. He wouldn't let that happen again, especially not when they had a child to raise. "Okay Hermione, tell me about the spell…" he relented.

Hermione cried harder and it was several minutes before she stopped to be able to gain composure again.

"Were your parents going to bring in some tea?" Draco joked. Hermione laughed and then started crying again. Draco gave her a surprised look.

"I'm not saying this to give any credit to your comment the other day, but I am starting to notice my hormones changing. I've been so emotional lately." She said as she wiped her eyes.

"And I haven't been here for your and have caused you extra stress. I can't tell you how sorry I am for that," he said with a sad look on his face.

She reached up to touch his face and he locked eyes with her as he leaned down to kiss her. "Nothing is more important than you and our baby," he said in between kisses. "Nothing."

She kissed him back passionately and then broke the kiss. She sat down and reached for a spell book next to her chair. Draco sat next to her as he waited for her to find the page with the spell on it.

"It should be…right here." She said as she opened it up. "Read this," she pushed the book onto his lap so he could read the spell.

After several minutes he looked back up at Hermione. "That's very complicated, but not outside of our abilities..."

"That's what I thought. Most of this is potion making, and if we change this part," she pointed to a section listed, "and maybe this," we could customize it to what is happening in your case and try to remove the mark completely."

He sat back in his chair and took some time to think it over. "I still don't like this, but no better options have presented themselves and I think this is the best shot we've got." He said with a resigned tone.

She snapped the book shut. "I think we have most of these ingredients at home, we can probably start this week," she began, making a mental checklist in her mind.

"Whoa Hermione. No. You're carrying our baby." His tone was shocked. "We can start this after the baby is born."

She sensed the finality in his voice and had to admit what he said sounded logical. Plus, the fact that he had already agreed to do it at all seemed unbelievable. "Okay, after the baby is born," she said as she locked eyes with him, letting him know he wouldn't be able to go back on his promise.

"But until then, let's not focus on this. I want us to be spending our time excited about the baby coming."

Hermione smiled and Draco scooted closer to her to put his arm around her.

The following week things were back to normal between Hermione and Draco and she was back living at home and eating meals in the great hall with her husband. She was talking with her husband at breakfast one morning while they each watched their house tables and talked of her plans for next year.

"I'm pretty sure I'm going to have to ask the headmistress to cover at least half a year for me. I probably should tell her about the baby, the school year will be over next week." She mentioned as she took a bite.

"WE should tell her," he emphasized, "since this involves both of us. But maybe we should wait until after your appointment so we have more information? This is the one where we find out the sex of the baby, right?" He sounded excited.

"Yes, we should be getting all of those updates today when we go. But promise me that you won't mention Travis to his father at all. He's a good doctor and I don't want to lose him or make him feel uncomfortable." She said sternly.

"I promise," he muttered.

"He is a really good doctor, and he treats you nicely. Or would you rather I saw healer Edmond?" she asked playfully.

He gave her a wide-eyed look. "Don't even joke about that, with our luck, he'll probably be the one to deliver."

"Oh, don't say that Draco. I would not feel comfortable with him seeing my body."

"Nor am I," he replied. "Well, you ruined my breakfast, so I'm going to head off to lessons. I'll see you after."

"We're heading off to St. Mungo's right after," she reminded him.

He leaned in to kiss her forehead and didn't even bother to stop himself. Hermione turned bright red.

Lessons went well for Hermione until she assigned an essay that was 12 inches of parchment long to her last class. They started groaning and complaining.

"Don't worry, it won't be like this next year," she heard a student saying. "She's going to be taking off."

"I'm sorry, what was that Mr. Bones?" she asked, letting the whole class know that he had her attention.

"I said, you'll be taking off next year, it's true, isn't it?" He pushed while the other students looked at a speechless Hermione.

"Why would you say that?" She pushed back.

"Let's just say you have a glow…" he said as he smiled.

"Let's just say you have detention for a week, would you like to make it two?" She threatened. When he shook his head no, she dismissed the class. She was fuming when she met up with Draco.

"What has you so frustrated?" he said when he saw her face.

She had already asked him not to mention Travis to his father, so now she didn't want to mention Travis's behavior to him so it didn't accidentally slip out in their appointment.

"I just had students complaining after giving them homework, that's all," she said as she waived him off.

"But don't they normally do that?" he asked, unsure why that would upset her.

"Hormones?" she offered trying to deflect and change the subject. "Anyway, are you ready?"

"Yeah, let's get to our place so we can apparate," he offered as he held out his hand and she took it.

Once in their backyard, they apparated to St. Mungo's.

They came out of a chute and right into the main reception area. Like usual, the place was bustling and Hermione noticed several people with injuries going off to the different wards for treatment. Draco checked in and they were directed to the floor for expecting parents and let right back into a room.

Hermione sat down and Draco was pacing the floor until the doctor came in.

"Mr. and Mrs. Malfoy, welcome back!" Dr. Bones said as he entered the room.

Hermione smiled. Draco stood next to his wife and did his best to smile, but it made him look impassive.

"Let's get on with it then," he said as he rubbed his hands together. "Today we see how the baby is developing and we find out what the sex will be," he took out his wand and used pieces of equipment in the room to help him with some tests. He used a machine that was similar to an ultrasound and was able to show the couple their baby. "Looks like you're having a boy!" he said as he started to put the equipment back.

Draco and Hermione looked at one another, excited about having a son.

"And by the development, I would say that you're about five and a half months along. So you should be delivering in about four and a half months. So that should be around late December, early January."

"That seems quick!" it was settling in for him that a new little person would be joining their family soon.

The Doctor nodded his head and smiled. He saw this look from parents several times a day. He clasped Draco's shoulder. "Not to worry Mr. Malfoy. Pretty soon he'll be grown up and you'll be getting letters from his teachers," he chuckled as he turned back to Hermione as Draco's face went white. 'What if my son is like Travis Bones' he thought.

"Speaking of which," Hermione mentioned. "Did you mention to Travis that I had been to see you?" They hadn't publicly announced the pregnancy yet.

"No, why do you ask?" He questioned.

"He just…mentioned I had a glow today, I thought that was odd," she shifted uncomfortably in her chair.

"He's always had a knack for knowing those types of things. He's a chip off the old block, I wouldn't be surprised if he were working here with me one day," he said proudly. "He usually makes people uncomfortable when he does that, I'll write to him and ask him to stop."

"I appreciate that," she mentioned as she stood up. Draco extended his hand to shake the doctors as they left the office.

Hermione noticed that Draco had changed after the doctor's comments to him, and wondered if he was alright. She was also going over what the doctor had said about his own son and wondered if it were true or not. If it was, he was destined to become a great doctor one day.

They hadn't spoken as they apparated. Hermione was determined to make conversation when they got back to their house.

"We're having a son Draco," she said as they returned. Draco wrapped his arms around his wife and gave her a kiss. She noticed something still seemed off about him. "Are you worried about something?"

"Just hearing the doctor talk about his son, makes me realize they are kind of born as their own person. He might be totally wild…"

Hermione just laughed and tried to comfort Draco. "And when he becomes a Gryffindor, you'll be pining after the loss to Slytherin house," she joked.

"Oh, he's definitely going to be in Slytherin. He's a Malfoy!" Draco said joking but truthfully.

"We'll see," she said as she narrowed her eyes and reached up on her tippy toes to kiss him.

He shook while he held her and she thought of how glad she was that they had set a date to do the spell to undo it. It wasn't too long now.

Later the next day, she decided it was time to let the headmistress know her plans for next year. At breakfast she approached the headmistress.

"Good morning professor," she started.

"And to you!" she returned.

"I wondered if I might ask for a meeting with you, if you have some time this week or next?"

"I do have time tonight after dinner," she looked at Hermione, wondering if everything was alright.

"Draco and I will come by to see you then," she answered as she took her seat.

When she sat next to Draco, she let him know about the meeting for that evening so she could get her plans settled with the headmistress.

Through lessons Hermione started to notice she felt a little more tired than usual and by the end of the day she felt exhausted. She was glad when dinner time came.

Draco came to her classroom to get her, and she seemed listless while putting items away. "Hermione, let me help you with those," he said as he finished the rest for her.

"Thank you Draco, I just feel so tired today," she said as she held onto his arm and he walked her towards the Great Hall.

"You're energy shouldn't be this low, should it?" He asked, trying to go over the books he had been reading about this process.

As they rounded the corner they nearly ran over a student who was running.

"Careful, Mr. Bones," he said gruffly as he nearly collided with Hermione.

"Sorry," he said as he looked at both of them.

"Where were you heading off to?" Draco asked, knowing it was dinner time and assuming that he was up to no good."

"No where," he replied quickly. "Are you doing alright professor?" he asked as he looked over at Hermione with a look of concern on his face.

"I'm fine," she lied and tried her best to support herself without holding onto Draco.

"You are pregnant, aren't you?" he inquired.

"Why you insolent little," Draco began when Hermione cut him off.

"It's fine Draco," she said turning to him. "Yes," she replied.

"I knew it!" he replied. "You've been grumpier lately, and there was that one day when you cried during a lesson, and your skin looks much healthier than usual." He said as he shrugged.

Hermione regretted telling Draco it was fine. She grabbed back onto Draco's arm.

"You really should be resting. Hold on," he said as he grabbed some parchment and a quill out of his robes and wrote something down. "I've heard my father mention these potions for weakness, but you'll want to check with your healer, of course," he said as he handed the paper to Draco.

Draco eyed him with shock, never expecting the behavior he had just seen in the student. "…Thanks…" he said as he took the paper.

"Can I head out?" he asked Draco, knowing he would be the biggest barrier to leaving at the moment.

"If your head of house has no objection, I don't see why I would. Professor?" he said as he looked over at Hermione.

"Promise me that you'll behave Travis," she spoke his first name with an exhausted tone.

"I promise professor," he said as he nodded and they moved on to see the headmistress.

"He doesn't seem all that bad, at least not tonight," Draco whispered to her while they were climbing up the staircase to the headmistress's office.

Hermione smiled at him and did her best to hold herself together and not rely on Draco for strength. She took a deep breath as she knocked, let go of Draco's arm, and stepped into the headmistresses' office.

After the meeting Draco got Hermione settled at home. He sat down next to her with some tea while they discussed how the meeting went. McGonigal did well accepting the terms Draco and Hermione presented, and agreed that Hermione could have half the year off to prepare for the baby coming.

"I can't believe that she offered you paid time off!" Draco went back over the meeting with her.

"It's in the by laws for teachers Draco, did you ever read them?" She asked.

He rolled his eyes and changed the subject. "Our mom's said they could take turns baby sitting so that you can go back to work when you're ready," Draco mentioned. "It seems like everything is falling into place."

"You asked them?" She laid her head on his chest and exhaled, one of her last issues was now resolved.

"Of course. I knew you wouldn't ask. It makes them happy to do it." He rubbed his hand up and down her back.

"Did you think Minerva would have reacted the way she did?" Hermione asked.

Draco smiled. "Honestly?"

"Yeah, were you surprised?" She pressed.

"No, of course she would be happy that Hermione Granger would clone herself," he said while laughing.

"But for all we know he could be more like you," she added, "which would still be wonderful," she smiled.

He looked at her and smiled back. "Is that so, I'm not such a bad guy?" He asked with a husky voice as he leaned down to kiss her.

"Hmmm…you're alright," she said while she laughed and kissed him back.

"Why don't you rest and finish your tea while I get to work on some of these potions for you," Draco didn't want her to be weak for lessons tomorrow. He knew if the potions didn't work, Hermione wouldn't be able to continue teaching for the first half of the year.

She sat down, sighed, and grabbed a book while Draco headed into the next room.


	59. Chapter 59

Ch. 59

On the last day of school, Hufflepuff decorations once again were hanging in the Great Hall. The previous year, Hermione and Draco were jealous, but with the baby on the way, they didn't seem to notice as much. They ate breakfast while Neville came up and clasped each of them on the shoulders.

"The Great Hall seems to look more beautiful than usual," he boasted.

"Nice going Longbottom," Draco offered as he looked up at him and then over at Hermione who was beaming at Neville.

"You are a wonderful head of house Neville, you deserve this," she clasped his hand.

"Well you two are a cheery pair. I expected some playful banter! Maybe I'm too much competition?" He said playfully.

Draco dropped his fork in irritation and bent down to pick it up.

"Watch that head Neville," she joked as he walked away laughing.

"What a pratt," Draco said as he readjusted in his chair.

"He's excited, and I'm sure you would be boasting if it were you. Are you…jealous?" she smiled at him.

"Jealous?" He scoffed, "please Hermione."

"Sure looks that way to me." She replied. "I guess we've had a lot going on this year."

Draco nodded.

"Do you think we focused hard enough on encouraging our students? With everything we had going on?" She made a disappointed face.

"I don't know, between all the things we did to get Octavious into any school that would take him, especially after what he did to you, I say we've gone above and beyond." He shrugged as he took another bite.

"That's true. If they gave house points for that we'd win," she reasoned.

He laughed. "How are you feeling, you've been taking the potions for a few days, you seem like you have more energy…"

"Yeah, I notice a big difference. I think this might actually work Draco," she said as she squeezed his hand.

They each had a busy day seeing students off, checking the houses to make sure students hadn't left items behind. It wasn't until later in the afternoon that both of them caught up together.

"Are you done?" Draco said as he passed by her holding a few potion bottles outside the main hall.

"Not entirely, I need to pick up the classroom. Meet me for dinner?"

"It's a date," he called back.

They spent their summer going back and forth visiting her parents and his and also taking time to rest at home.

Over the next month they had a discussion over breakfast about names for the baby. Hermione was showing more and Draco made it a point to look down at her stomach more than usual.

He sat down at the table and put her tea down in front of her plate. "What were some of the top ones you were considering?" he asked.

"Well, Wendell for my father, of course. Harold was my grandfather's name…"

Draco raised his eyebrows and didn't say anything. He didn't want to be disrespectful.

"What, you don't like those?"

He shook his head.

"What about Lucious?" she said as she looked down at her tummy.

"Are you serious?" he asked.

"Yeah, why not?" She glanced back up at him.

"Why not name our baby after one of the lead death eaters?" He questioned.

"Well when you put it that way…"

"I don't want people to look at our son and just label him a death eater just because he will be a Malfoy. You don't realize that's the legacy I'm leaving for our son." His fist was balled up and his eyes had turned red.

Hermione reached out her hand to cover his. "Draco, we're going to create a new legacy for the Malfoy name. Don't forget I have your last name now too."

He looked up and her and relaxed his fist. "Yeah, that's true."

"A new name then, for a new legacy?" She asked.

Draco nodded his head.

They went back and forth with names for the next few hours.

"I don't think we'll find one," Hermione joked. "Can we just leave him un-named and call him son?"

Draco started laughing too and they started sharing joke names.

"Wilfred?" he asked.

"How about something more magic sounding, like Scorp…ious!" she said as she laughed.

"Scorpious Malfoy, that actually has a nice ring to it Hermione. It's original!"

"Are you serious Draco? I was joking.""

"I really like it…" he pushed.

"Scorpious…" she considered. "I'm not sure what I think about it." She admitted.

Over the next few weeks they hadn't come up with any other names, and Hermione just figured they would know what to call him once he was born. She liked the idea of calling him 'son' for a while.

Hermione and Draco had gone together to St. Mungo's to get a checkup with the doctor. They checked in at the front counter like usual.

The witch behind the counter was rather young and didn't find their name on the list. "I'm sorry, you're not on this list," she said in a friendly tone.

"Malfoy, for Dr. Bones?" Draco asked with an attitude.

"Oh, you're having a baby?" she clarified as she flipped to a different list in her hand. "Yes, right here." She said as she smiled while Draco glowered at her. "Floor 2, once you check in you should go right in." Her cheeks flushed pink as Draco walked away.

"Could you be less intense right now?" Hermione asked as they walked together.

"Please, she obviously doesn't know what she's doing. They might as well have a muggle checking people in," he scoffed.

Hermione glared at him. "And what would be wrong with that?"

"I didn't mean it like that…you know what I mean…" he said sheepishly as he rubbed his hand through his hair.

"Hmmm," Hermione said disapprovingly as they approached the second floor and were shown back to their room. Hermione hadn't spoken to Draco since he made the comment that irritated her.

Draco sat there in silence waiting for the doctor to show up.

It was nice to see Dr. Bones again, he had a calm approach to his job. When he came into the room he broke the tension immediately.

"The parents!" he said to them as he entered the room. Both of them perked up in response.

"Hi Dr." Hermione said as she smiled. Draco nodded in his direction.

"I'll just be running a few tests today and then sharing the results," he said as he took out his wand. He did a few spells over Hermione's body. "It looks like he's still developing normally," he moved his focus to a different area while he spoke. "You should begin to feel him kick soon, he's getting big enough now."

Hermione smiled over at Draco, all irritation at him was forgiven.

"And he's big enough I may be able to snap a picture for you to take home." He said.

Draco squeezed her hand.

The doctor did another spell and a flash of light came out. Then a picture printed and the Dr. grabbed it and handed it to Draco. He could make out his hands, legs, and arms. He showed it to Hermione, "look," he said as he offered her the picture, his eyes tearing up.

She gave him a light smile and touched her hand to his face and then looked at the picture. "Wow" she said as she gazed at her son for the first time.

Dr. Bones broke the silence by letting them know what to expect at these stages and asking if she has noticed anything changes at this stage.

"No, I think I'm doing well," she offered while Draco sat up more in his chair.

"Actually, I would disagree. For the past few weeks Hermione's been weak, but, your son told us about some potions that could help." Draco mentioned.

"My Travis? What did he suggest?" The Dr. was curious.

"He suggested these," Draco pulled a piece of parchment out of his robe. "They've been working, so that's why we hadn't come in before now."

Dr. Bones looked back and forth between Draco and Hermione. "If you ever experience issues you should have come straight to me. Leaving your health in the hands of a student was very irresponsible." They had never seen him without a jovial look on his face, it was quite different talking to him this way.

Hermione just looked at Draco, not knowing what to say.

"Yes, it was," Draco answered.

"And I'll be having a discussion with my son, he should have just advised you to see a healer." He added.

Draco rubbed his hand through his hair. "Well, he did do that…" he added.

"Anymore issues or complications, you're to come straight back here to see a healer, understand?" he asked Draco severely.

"Yes Doctor," both Draco and Hermione uttered.

"Okay," he said as his smile came back to his face and the tension was gone. "He's developing normally, so it looks like you were given good advice, even if it was only partially followed." He stood up and nodded to each of them and then left the room.

Once alone, Draco and Hermione looked at one another.

"We really got told off," Hermione said.

"But he's right, it is serious. This isn't just you, it's about our baby too. When he asked if there had been any issues, you said no, but he's only going to be able to help you and our son if you're honest about what's going on," Draco said in a serious tone while he stared into her eyes.

Hermione got a sick feeling in her stomach that had nothing to do with being pregnant. Draco was right, it was her job as a mother to protect her child, and she was already off to a bad start. Nothing had happened, but it just as easily could have. Hermione burst into tears. "I'm a bad mother!"

Draco's eyes grew larger and he tried his best at damage control. Hermione usually wasn't so reactive and he wasn't sure what to do at first, so he froze and then recovered. "No, no Hermione, no one is saying that at all!"

"But you're all thinking it!" She wailed as she tried to wipe her eyes.

"No, I promise!" He wrapped his arms around her and just held her. "Who all are you talking about?"

"You, the healer, probably everyone!"

"That isn't true. We just had one little issue that turned out not to be a big deal. Now we know, right Hermione." He put on his best apprehensive smile for Hermione and she started to take deep breaths and calm down.

She nodded her head and wiped the final tears from her eyes just as the healer came back in.

"Here's your paperwork and some information about those potions to consider. I think we better check back in in a few weeks to see how things are going." He handed Draco a card for the next appointment.

"We'll be here," he said as he handed the card to Hermione.

Draco helped her up and then tried to help Hermione put her coat on. "I can do this part Draco," she said with a kind tone as she pulled her jacket from his hands.

As they walked out, he kept his arm across her back and held on to her shoulder and led her back through the waiting area. They hadn't yet left when they heard someone behind them.

"The Malfoys, what brings you to St. Mungo's? Not ill?" The voice said.

Hermione did an involuntary shudder as both her and Draco turned around.

"Rita," Draco said with a curt nod. "We're very well, thank you. Not trying to get the next scoop from the hospital, surely?" Draco asked.

"Not at all! I just came to see a healer, bit of a cold," she smiled as she turned to Hermione and looked her up and down. Dawning filled her features as she took in the change to Hermione's mid-section. "What have we here?"

Hermione put her hand to her tummy and gave away any doubt that Rita may have had. "Oh, well…" she tried to grasp for the right words.

"I'd love to do an exclusive," she said with a hungry smile.

"I'm sure you would," Hermione thought. "We'll think about it," she offered. Draco did a double take at Hermione.

"Wonderful, I'll write to you next week for a date," she passed Hermione and walked towards the healer check-in booth.

"Great," Hermione muttered to Draco.

"I bet we'll be in the Prophet tomorrow morning," he muttered back to her.


	60. Chapter 60

Ch. 60

Sure enough, the next morning there was an article in the paper by none other than Rita Skeeter. Draco read the paper before Hermione even woke up.

"Dear readers, you will be just as excited as I am to know that yours truly spotted the happy couple, Draco and Hermione Malfoy out and about yesterday. They were as cute as can be, and had some exciting news to share. An exclusive with them about the prospect of a growing family will hopefully come later this month, stay tuned!"

"She's not going to like this," Draco said to himself as he folded up the paper and set it down on the table.

"Like what?" Hermione said as she came into the kitchen.

"I thought you would be sleeping in since it's summer?" Draco asked.

"I couldn't, I'm so used to being up early for lessons. Did you make this?" She asked.

"Yeah, I wanted to make you a nice breakfast and just spend time together." He put her hair behind her ear and looked at her lovingly and then winced in pain again.

She locked eyes with Draco. "Pretty soon you won't have to deal with this anymore."

The thought would have given him relief if it didn't feel so afraid of what it would mean. He knew he couldn't go back on his word to her, but wondered if there was another way to get out of it.

Hermione could tell what he was thinking and changed the subject. It was the quiet disagreement between them now. Everyday they got closer to the baby coming, was a day they also got closer to the spell to reverse the issue. The magic itself being so unpredictable that it could result in a further curse or even death.

An own came and dropped off a letter that was penned with a familiar quick quotes quill. It was addressed to Hermione.

She took the letter and opened it up.

"Dear Hermione,

Looking forward to setting up a date to get together soon, let me know what works!

-Rita"

"That's awfully short for a letter from her," Hermione remarked.

Draco slowly stopped eating and used his napkin to wipe his face. "I have a feeling I know who that's from…"

"Yeah, Rita. I just said that yesterday to keep her at bay. Relax," she assured him.

Draco coughed. "Well, you might want to read the paper this morning," he held it out to her with a skeptical look on his face.

She grabbed the paper while making eye contact, wondering what was written and read the short few lines that were printed in the Prophet before setting the paper back down on the table and sighing.

"We can still say no Hermione, we don't have to do this." Draco reminded.

"Do you think having no privacy will be the price we pay for our past, and that our son is going to have to sacrifice his privacy too?" She pushed her plate of food away from her.

Draco pushed it right back. "You need to eat, he needs to eat too," he sighed. "It's only going to be this way until Potter and Weasley have a child, maybe then it will be over…," he winked at Hermione.

She started laughing and ate her breakfast.

In the months that followed Draco and Hermione continued not to talk about the dark mark curse and as she threw herself into research and mapping out the spell, he also threw himself into finding another way. They both looked exhausted and Draco would make her breakfast while she researched, and she would make lunch while he tried different potions to try to break the curse.

Draco hoped there would be another solution, but so far he hadn't found one.

Hermione did the interview with Rita but told her up front she would only answer limited questions such as confirming that she was pregnant, but not revealing the sex or name of the baby. Her report was printed in the prophet shortly after. The wizarding world was waiting for updates from Rita every few days to see how the mother to be was fairing.

Draco catered to Hermione's every craving and midnight snack spree. He also was there to hold her hair back in the morning when she wasn't feeling so well.

When school started back up again, Draco missed the time he shared with his wife during the summer. He came home for meals and was rarely seen at meal time in the great hall. He relied heavily on his prefects for Slytherin house to keep the order during his absence.

Early in October, before Halloween, the day had finally come.

Hermione was doing dishes when her water broke. "Draco!" she called, "I think it's time!" She momentarily forgot that he was at school. She made her way over to the table and grabbed some parchment, wrote a quick note, and cast a spell so it would fly to the castle and right over to Draco.

After a few minutes, Draco came running into the room, out of breath, and caught the door frame. "Okay, so we're apperating, that would be the quickest way." He reached out his hand and grabbed hers. "How long has it been since your water broke?"

"Just a few minutes," she winced while she squeezed his hand.

He winced as well and Hermione started laughing and then wincing again. "Look at the pair of us, both in pain. This whole experience might be more painful for you than it will be for me." She winced again and grabbed her stomach.

"Let's walk outside, we don't have a second to waste," he could tell his wife was putting on a brave face and wasn't sure how much time they had before the baby came.

She had trouble getting up so he lifted her and headed outside and apparated on the spot. When they looked up, they were at St. Mungos.

He carried her through the hospital to the check-in desk. "We're here for a delivery," Draco remarked to the witch at the front.

"I'll check you in, head on back," she said as she turned to update a list. She didn't even ask their names so Draco knew she must be reading the prophet. "Good luck!"

"Thanks," Draco said as he sped off. Once he reached delivery a healer came out with a bed and he laid Hermione down.

"When did contractions start?" She asked.

"I don't know! Her water just broke a few minutes ago!" He felt a little panicked never having been through this before.

"Sir, I'm going to have to ask you to relax, it's not good for the mother if you're in a heightened state. Everything will be okay." She reassured.

Draco tried to steady himself and take a few deep breaths.

"We do have calming tonic's if you think you might need one," she offered.

Draco chuckled, he prepared those for the hospital regularly. "I think I'll be okay."

"I'm going to bring her back into this room over here, and then I'll come get you once she's settled," she wheeled Hermione into the next room. The moments felt like an hour to Draco.

He started pacing the hall, waiting to be called in. When he came back up the hall, he saw Dr. Bones. "Thank God you're here!" he said as he approached the healer. He had been worried that somehow healer Edmond would work his way into his son's delivery and he wanted to avoid that at all costs.

"Of course, nice to see you again! Ready to be a dad?" the Doctor asked.

"Yes, I'm ready," Draco said as he followed Dr. Bones into the room.

Births by magic were different in the wizarding world in a few ways. They gave Hermione tonics that took away the pain, and the labors weren't as long as they were for muggles because there were spells that helped the birthing process go quickly. Within an hour, their baby boy was born.

"He's so perfect Draco," she whispered to him while she held the baby.

"Just like his mother, you did amazing Hermione," he said as he kissed her forehead and winced in pain.

"I thought it was going to be a lot harder," she admitted.

"You mean like how births in muggle hospitals are?" He asked while he reached his hands out for his son. She handed him over. "He's so tiny." His husky voice was so timid.

"Yeah, I guess that was what I imagined. How would you know about muggle births?" She gave him a skeptical look.

"Funny you should ask, my wife is a muggle born witch, so I study muggle culture from time to time. The birthing practices are barbaric." He shuddered.

"Careful Draco," she reached out, showing that she wanted him back.

"It's okay, he's safe with daddy, aren't you Scorpious." He sang and then handed him back to his wife.

"Come here sweetie," she said as she laid her son down on her chest and he started to rest.

Dr. Bones came back in to check on them. "It looks like both of you are doing well!" he remarked. Draco had calmed down significantly now that the baby was born. "We like to keep all babies overnight just to run tests and make sure they are progressing well. You're welcome to stay too, although it isn't required." He offered.

"I'm staying, Draco can stay too, can't he?" She asked.

"Regardless, I'm not leaving," he said to her and looked back at the doctor for an answer.

"That's the common response we get, I'll have the aid bring another chair in for you Draco so you can rest as well."

"Thank you," he said as he turned back to his wife and child.

"You're sure about the name Scorpious?" She pressed.

"I like it, don't you like it?" He rubbed her arm while she held the baby.

"Yes, I do." She nestled the baby one more time. "Then it's settled, Scorpious Malfoy."

"How about, Scorpius Granger Malfoy. Let's name him after a hero that helped to defeat the dark lord."

She smiled up at him and nodded her head.

The next day, they heard that Scorpious was healthy and they were able to leave the hospital as a family. When they were leaving, there were a few reporters with cameras waiting outside the hospital. Hermione clutched her baby to her chest.

"Draco," she said with fear in her voice as he stood in front of them both.

Reporters started coming closer to them, snapping pictures.

Draco drew his wand and the reporters jumped back. "We would be happy to do a story at a later date, but right now, my wife and son need to go home and rest," Draco said through gritted teeth.

"Son, they had a boy," the crowd murmured and whispered. Draco stepped forward and the crowd started to split in two, letting them pass. As soon as they passed through, Draco wrapped himself around Hermione and the baby and apparated back to the shrieking shack.

They adjusted as best they could to having a new routine and a new schedule. Draco began teaching with only a few hours sleep, and wondered when Hermione got any chance to sleep at all.

She was tired. The baby would keep her up most nights, not because he was crying or fussy, but because she didn't want to leave his side. She loved being a mother and enjoyed her time with him. When he slept she would start to drift off next to his crib. After this happened a few times, Draco moved the crib into their room.

"A nursery is great for when they're older, but you're not going to sleep well on the floor Hermione. Scorpious needs his mommy rested." He said lovingly.

She looked up at him with sleepy eyes and kissed him. Throughout everything with the pregnancy, he loved her more than ever.

He tried hard to control his reaction. "Your mark?" she asked.

"I'm fine," he lied, the pains were getting stronger each day. But each day he loved her more.

She gave him a skeptical look and then looked away, feeling guilty that she hadn't started on a solution yet. Before she knew it, Scorpious was 2 weeks old and she could have spent any of that time preforming the spell. She couldn't bare to see Draco in pain any longer.

"Hey," he said as he lifted her chin up with his fingers. "Don't be sad, it's not like you're the greatest dark wizard of all time, you didn't do this to me."

She sighed and dropped the subject. They had been over things a hundred times. She looked over at their son sleeping in his crib. "He's so perfect Draco."

Draco wrapped his arms around his wife and looked at their son. "He's like his mother," he said as he kissed the top of her head.

Hermione moved over to the crib and moved it closer to her bed so it was an arms length away. He was still so new and precious, she wanted to be close if he needed her, or when he woke up hungry.

Draco moved his fingers through her hair. "Ready to rest?" he asked.

"I'm ready to try," she said as he turned out the light and put his arms around her. She was snoring within seconds.

The next day when she got up, she changed and fed the baby and then dove back into her books. She had worked her way through nearly the whole curse, looking for something that could help when she came to breaking it.

She started making a list of all the elements that Draco's mark had that this one was missing and tried piecing together clues as to what the other spells could be. She learned more dark magic than she had ever wanted to and hoped she would never need to learn this sort of thing again. After weeks of corresponding back and forth with Harry, Lucious and Narcissa and talking to Draco, she thought she had a spell that would reverse the dark mark entirely.

"It makes sense now, especially with what Harry said about love being his biggest weakness!"

"Okay, run through this again, I want to make sure I understand what you're planning," Draco asked reluctantly. Hermione had her mind set, and with dark magic in particular, he just needed to know what to expect.

"I'm going to start this spell with a few charms on your arm," she began.

"And then?" he still hoped they would find another way.

"Then I will start a potion and add your blood and my blood to it,"

"That's where I'm getting hung up. Why do you need that? I'm weary of blood spells, they have a reputation of being disastrous Hermione."

"What else can we do, we know that the more you love me, the more pain you have…our love is the key here Draco."

He knew she was right, it was the key, but he wasn't sure if this was the exact thing that would help. He sighed.

"You don't want to try this…" it was a statement, not a question. She could see his apprehension.

"No, I really don't. I think it's risky."

"What could I do to make you feel better about it?" she asked.

"The pain really isn't that bad Hermione, I can live with it!" He grabbed both of her shoulders.

"I'm not going to let you do that, not when I can stop it."

"But you don't know the side effects this will have, all dark magic comes at a price Hermione, it isn't safe or predictable," he tried to reason with her.

"I'm starting the potion tonight so all the ingredients can simmer, we start tomorrow." She said with a tone of finality.

"I'm not going through with this," Draco uttered as she walked past.

"We'll see," she replied as she left the room to prepare.

Draco wrote to his mom to ask if she would watch the baby in the morning so that he and Hermione had time to sort the potion out.

During the morning Hermione found Draco next to her potion. "Ready?" she asked him, gauging his mood.

He sighed. "I guess, since you won't stop." His tone was grumpy.

She smiled at him and pulled out her wand. She began to do a few charms and then he felt tingling all over his dark mark. Then she poked his finger and poked hers.

"Put three drops of yours in at the same time I do three drops of mine," she said as she kept her thumb pressed against her wound to hold back the blood. "One, two, three," she counted as she added them. Then she stirred the potion and it turned a bright purple, bubbled furiously, and then turned bright blue and went instantly smooth.

"Now, we're supposed to spread this on your mark. The idea is that true love will break your curse, isn't that romantic? It should work on your parents marks too since you have the same blood line." She added.

He looked in at the substance, not trusting it. "You realize that once I put this on, there is no one with experience to help me if things turn out badly?"

"Have a little faith in me Draco." She egged him on. She touched the solution and spread it on his mark. As soon as she did, it made a screaming sound like something that was being killed, and it shrunk in its entirety until it was gone.

Draco couldn't believe it, it was gone! "Hermione, you did it!" He said as he hugged her and gave her a kiss on the lips.

She shoved him off of her. "Malfoy, what are you doing?" her tone was angry.

"What?" He was confused, she didn't seem to be joking. "You haven't called me that in a long time…" he looked at her skeptically.

She started looking around and then back at him. "Where are we at, and why am I here with you?" She questioned.

"…we're at our house…" he began but stopped when her eyes went wide and the space between her eyebrows wrinkled in disgust.

"Very funny Malfoy," she said sarcastically. "I'll hex you if you ever touch me like that again. Are we clear?"

He could tell by her tone that something had gone wrong, very very wrong by the looks of it. "Hermione?"

"And that's another thing, why are you using my name? I didn't think you would dare speak the name of a mudblood…" she threw at him.

He took a sharp breath in, he wasn't prepared for this at all and suddenly, he became angry because he went along with the spell against his better judgement, and Hermione was different because of it.

"You always have to push me, don't you Her…" he didn't want to use her name and upset her again. "Granger!"

Hearing her last name from his lips made her feel a little more normal again. She liked that the look on his face had changed back to a form she recognized. His anger was familiar to her, while his other appearance was not.

Narcissa heard the yelling and walked past the room holding her grandson. "Is everything okay? I thought I heard," she said when she was cut off by Hermione.

"You!" Hermione screamed at her in shock.

"Yes?" Narcissa answered with a bewildered look on her face.

"Mom, leave with Scorpious now," Draco stepped in front of his wife to block his mom. "Now!" he yelled at her when she stared at her son, dumbstruck.

She quickly walked away from the room while holding her grandson securely and walked outside to apparate on the spot.

She pulled her wand on Draco. "I want to know where we are right now!"

"Her…I mean, Granger, I can explain."

"Well you better start," she said with a dangerous look in her eyes. Draco wanted to reach for his wand, he knew if it came to a fight he would have to work quickly to subdue her, but he wasn't sure that it would even be best to fight her. He had to be careful about how he proceeded.

"You're not going to believe the truth, so maybe I should just start by telling you the most important parts first…if you visit Weasely it will kill him, it will literally end his life..." he knew she would never forgive him if Ron's death was on her hands.

"What?!"

"What is the last thing you remember about me," he asked.

She thought for a moment, not dropping her wand, "Are you trying to distract me?" she asked.

"Please, this is important!" He yelled at her. "Think! What is the last thing you remember?"

"I," she said as she stopped and thought. "I think I remember you sitting in the compartment with Neville and I on the way to school before I started teaching. You stayed just to annoy me, I believe." She glared at him as she answered.

"Yes, I did." He said as a tear leaked from his eye and he pushed it away, more leaked out and he let out a sob.

"Are you…crying?" She asked, shocked and freaked out at the same time. Her question didn't come from a place of compassion. "I'm honestly surprised you have any feelings at all."

He stood rooted to the spot as his heart exploded. The only person that saw real good in him now saw him for what he was, a monster. "You're right," his tone was dejected and devoid of life. "I have no feelings, I'm nothing now." He grabbed the counter for support because he didn't feel like he could hold himself up under the shock of what had just happened. He missed the counter and fell on his way down, hitting his head and losing consciousness.


	61. Chapter 61

Ch. 61

When he woke up, he was in bed. He sat up quickly and checked his dark mark, it was in fact gone. He looked around the room and saw Hermione asleep in a chair in the room, still clutching her wand. The pictures that were hanging in their room of them with Scorpius and them getting married were taken down and he could see them on her lap. He didn't want to get up and make her worried, but he also knew she was cold without a blanket. It was night by the looks of it, or possibly even early morning. How long had he been out?

He slowly and quietly got up and laid a blanket over her softly. She didn't stir so he laid back down and thought about things until she woke up. Maybe she could sleep this off, there was no telling how long the effects of this were going to be. He hoped she would start to remember things soon, he wondered if she remembered their son. The thought that she might not broke his heart all over again.

After day break, Hermione stirred and got up from her spot and slowly approached Draco. He had his eyes closed and was careful to keep even breaths.

"Malfoy?" she whispered, testing to see if he was asleep. He started to stir like he had just been woken up.

"Would you prefer me to call you Granger?" He asked kindly as he sat up in bed, trying to give her space.

"Yes, thank you," she replied curtly.

He looked around the room and the pictures were back on the walls. He wasn't going to question her about it.

"Would you like me to write your parents, or Potter?" He searched her eyes.

"Am I too helpless to write my own letters?" She snapped at him.

"Do you feel helpless?" he pushed.

She did a quick spell and little yellow canaries popped out. That was never a good sign, she only did that when she was very angry.

"Uh oh," he uttered, wondering what he could do to calm her down. He decided to stop talking to her and let her get her bearings.

"How would you feel if you suddenly couldn't remember a period of your life where you seemed to fall in love with your enemy and have a baby!?"

Enemy, he remembered, that's what he was to her, that's what she would see him as.

"I don't know how I fell in love with you!" she yelled at him, still upset. "I can see I did have a baby by how my body has changed, I know these things happened, but I don't know how." She looked over at him, "Well?" She wanted him to start explaining.

"Just don't charge one of those things at me," he said to clear the air. She half smiled and he continued. "We ended up having to work closely together and get along, or McGonigal threatened not to renew our posts. We had to spend all meal times together too."

"How could she ask that?" she was mystified.

"Because we were getting into arguments all over the castle and she didn't want that to happen once students arrived."

"Oh, I guess that makes sense," she reasoned.

"I have to admit it does, that was the first thing we agreed on, but it took a while." He wanted to comfort her, rub his hands up and down her arms, but he knew he couldn't. "Why don't you sit down here and I'll get you a blanket and make you some tea, then I can tell you the rest?"

She looked at him with a shocked look, not expecting his kindness. "Why are you being so nice to me?" then it donned on her. "Oh, you're in love with me." She reminded herself out loud.

Draco blushed, something she had never remembered seeing before. She wasn't sure what to think of that, it was all too much for her. He wanted to confirm his feelings but stopped himself. "I'm a different person than I used to be when we were kids, very different. I'm ashamed of the life I led." He said in a dejected tone as he stood up and handed a blanket to Hermione. "Why don't you just try to relax, you've been through a lot."

She gently took the blanket from him and decided to extend a little trust his way until he gave her a reason not to trust him, at least for the time being. She sat down where he had been laying and covered up with the blanket. She noticed an evergreen scent lingered on the covers as she got into them.

He came back a few minutes later with tea. He poured a cup of it and handed it to Hermione. She accepted it, but by the look of it, she also wasn't expecting this.

"Thank you," she said in a bewildered tone.

He pulled the chair in the room closer to the bed and sat down while he poured his own cup of tea. "I remember falling earlier, but not getting into bed…" he said to strike up conversation.

"You fell and hit your head, I levitated you in here."

"You didn't leave…" it was a statement.

"I was going to, and then…" she stopped.

He was happy she didn't go, whatever the reason. "Then?"

"I saw the pictures in here, they're real. I'm wearing a beautiful wedding ring, I've clearly had a baby," she started listing off pieces that she couldn't deny.

"So you don't remember him then?" Draco's voice showed that it hurt him.

"Please don't judge me, this is quite enough to be dealing with," she said reproachfully.

"Herm…sorry. Granger, with everything I've done, I'm the last person on earth who could ever judge you."

She looked in his eyes and he appeared to be sincere.

"I hope you decide to stay, but please tell me if you don't want to." He hoped it wasn't too soon to talk about these arrangements.

"I haven't decided," she answered honestly. "This house is beautiful."

"That's because you have good taste," he said as he smiled. She thought he might be being conceited.

"I have good taste because I like something you do?" she scoffed at him, disgusted again.

"Um…no, you have good taste because you designed the interior to our home." He answered flatly. He was going to have a long way to go if they were ever going to be friends again, let alone more than friends.

"Oh," she said, not bothering to apologize.

"You aren't being very nice to me," he remarked with a warm smile as she looked at him. "Sorry, not judging, I'm just not used to that." He thought maybe it would be better if he left her to think. "I think you've been wanting me to go, I'm sorry to be crowding your space," he said as he got up.

"No, please stay. I'm sorry I've been…unfriendly." She had to think because she wasn't sure what she had been. She didn't have the knowledge of what their relationship was to know how things usually went.

He sat back down and tried not to look at her.

"What did you mean that Ron would literally die if I went to see him?" She asked, her mind had been turning over on that.

He sighed. Why did this have to be the first question she asked. How was he going to explain this. "Granger, I want to let you know, the details on this are…pretty ugly. I promise that I won't lie to you, even if I know it will make you mad. That's one thing we both agreed to in our marriage is to be honest with one another."

She cringed at the word marriage and it didn't escape his notice.

"I'm a very changed person, but I'm not perfect, not by a long shot. For some reason, you're the only one who ever seemed to see any good in me, at least before now. I don't know how you saw it, so please don't ask me to explain that part. After we had gotten together there have been issues with Weasley, here and there." He wondered if he was able to be unbiased enough to go into the subject with her.

"Issues?"

"I really wish you had asked me anything else, do we have to talk about this right now?" He pleaded.

"Yes, I want to know!" She said in a demanding voice. She heard her tone and saw what Malfoy was talking about. "Sorry for sounding so nasty. I do want to know."

He took a deep breath. "So, he had hit on you multiple times, very publicly, and once at a party held in your honor at the ministry. The result was you slapping him and articles going into the prophet about a love triangle. The article also attacked him for his disrespect to you and other women."

"Hmmm, go on," she listened with rapt attention.

"Everything I'm saying can be backed up with articles," he said as he put his hands in the air as if daring her to disbelieve him.

She smiled at him. "I believe you."

"You do? This is a lot to take in," he explained.

"Yeah, but I can see myself slapping Ron. He has trouble with boundaries sometimes." She remarked.

"That's what I'm always saying to you, but you always come to his aid!" He set his tea down.

"Malfoy, your jealousy is showing, are you going to continue or do I have to read the rest in the papers?" She pushed.

"Well, you won't find the rest in the papers, only a few of us even know."

She raised her eyebrows, intrigued.

"You got so angry at me before, forgive me for not wanting that again. I don't want you to go," he showed his vulnerable side and Hermione started to soften even more. She just waited for him to start.

"After the issue at the party, I left you to go back to his place and fight him, but instead we came to an understanding. We did the unbreakable vow that he would not be around you again without me being present." Draco finished and averted his gaze from Hermione. "I know it was dumb and it wasn't that I didn't trust you, I was tired of you being kind and being assaulted for it!" he exclaimed, expecting her to leave the house and never come back. His chest was heaving, worried about what would happen next.

After she had been quiet for a while he looked at her. Her eyebrows were still raised, but she didn't look angry. "Did that solve the issues with Ron?" she asked.

"Yes, he has visited us once and was very respectful." He pointed out.

"He agreed to the vow, so I don't see why I would be angry about that…" She tried to reason.

"Are you serious?" he couldn't believe his ears.

"Yeah, no one forced him, you can't force those types of vows. And I can see it wasn't a question of you trusting me."

"You were so angry that you took off for days! I went to the Minister and demanded he start a search party!" Draco shared. She found this information intriguing. She was liking hearing about her reactions to things and the things that had happened between her and Malfoy, and that he was jealous of Ron of all people, it seemed almost comical.

"What did the minister do?" she said as she was laughing, she was sitting up in bed. He was glad to see that if nothing else, he had her attention.

"He told me that if you left I probably did something to deserve it and that the wizard world would probably see you leaving an ex death eater as a good thing." He said bitterly.

"That's terrible!" She was beside herself at how cold Kingsley had been.

"That's the Malfoy legacy, or was, until we got married. You used to tell me that we were starting a new legacy, a new wizarding world for our Scorpious." He let the last part slip and then felt guilty, hoping he didn't cause Hermione to be upset.

She looked down at the floor.

"I'm sorry," he said as he reached out to her and then stopped himself.

"It might take me time to be friends again," she whispered, "but I could use a hug right now." She admitted, showing her vulnerabilities to him.

Without a word he moved over to the bed and sat down next to her. He pulled her close and laid her head down on his chest and he wrapped his arms around her. "Take as much time as you need to, I don't have any expectations Hermione."

He wasn't sure if he was lying or telling the truth. He hoped, not expected, that he would get his wife and son's mother back afterall.

As she hugged him back, she realized that she was way over her head. Since when does someone wake up to find their enemy is really their closest friend. She couldn't deny, they obviously were close and she currently felt very comfortable and safe around him.

"I'll stay," she whispered.

"Thank God," he said as he held her tighter and she felt his tears fall in her hair.

She could feel he loved her beyond any love she had ever known.

"If you ever want to go stay with your parents, or if you want them to stay here, we can arrange that, okay?"

She nodded her head and just hugged him, making note of how hard his chest was and wondering what he might look like with his shirt off. Then she remembered that they had a child together and that she had at some point seen him naked and she started blushing. She was glad her head was on his chest and that her face was hidden.

At that point he pulled her back to look at her. "Is there anything…" he stopped at the look on her face, he knew what that look meant, she was attracted to him. He smiled at her and pulled her closer again, trying not to laugh.

"I'm not sure why you're laughing," she tried to play off.

"You're not?" he acted surprised but played along, her reactions were cute.

His voice sounded a little deeper, it was sexy. "No, I'm not," she said confidently. "What is this feeling!" she asked herself.

He let go of her lightly and grabbed his tea cup and spilt it down his shirt by accident. "Oh no," he said as he stood up and took his shirt off. He caught her gazing at him and her face was red. He went to the dresser to get another shirt.

"Sorry about that," he said nonchalantly as he sat back down next to her.

She wondered if she could ask him to hug her again when he instinctively put his arms back around her.

"Is this okay to do?" he felt he wanted to clarify and be respectful.

She looked up at him. "Yes," she replied, her eyes on the brink of tears at all the confusion she was having. His kindness was overwhelming, he was so sweet, he paid her every little attention he possibly could. She could see what made her fall in love with him and realized she was already starting to like him.

He lifted her chin with his fingers and gazed into the eyes of his wife. He slowly and instinctively moved his head closer to hers and started to bring his lips closer to hers. She closed her eyes and he leaned in to kiss her and then pulled back, hoping he wasn't being too optimistic at the signs she was giving him.

After he pulled back, she pushed closer and kissed him lightly pressing her lips back on his.

"Sorry, maybe I shouldn't have done that." She replied as she brought her fingers up to touch her lips and gazed at him.

He didn't say anything but slowly removed his arms from her and stood up from the bed. He didn't want to rush into anything with her or make her run the other direction. "Granger, I think you better write to Potter and your parents today, just to give them a heads up. What do you think?"

"What do I think…I think you're so different." She marveled at him. "You're not what I expected at all."

He blushed and turned around. "The parchment is in the other room, I'll just go grab some," he said as he did so and came back. He handed her the supplies.

She wrote letters to Harry and her parents to tell them she was okay but seemed to be having some memory problems as a result of a spell. "What else should I add?" She asked Draco's advice.

"Would you like to visit your parents tomorrow? We can go together or I could give you your space to visit."

"But you'd feel more comfortable going with me?" she wanted to know what he thought.

"I would, but that is totally your choice," he returned. "Do what you need to do, don't think of me right now."

She scoffed at him. "I would like to just think of myself, but how can I after all you're doing for me?" She questioned him.

"I'm here if you need me," he said as he started to write a letter of his own. He shifted his focus from her and back to the letter. He was letting his parents know that he would be in touch later for Scorpious, once he knew things with Hermione were more stable.

Hermione got up out of bed and Draco looked up. "I'm just going to look around." She began.

"I was wondering when you were going to start. You'll never believe what this place used to be. See if you can guess as you walk around it." He smiled at her.

She was happy Malfoy hadn't stopped her, he wasn't controlling her, quite the opposite actually. She didn't answer as she left the room.

Draco sat back and thought about everything that had happened and was at least happy that things had gone off the right way with Hermione, she had even kissed him. "She was confused when she did that," he told himself so that he didn't get his hopes up.

Hours later he started dinner for them, something light but still one of her favorites. He went to look for Hermione with a plate in his hand, he didn't want to disturb her without an excuse. He found her sitting at one of the windows, taking in the sight of the village of Hogsmead.

"I hope I'm not disturbing you," he interrupted her silence. "I thought you might be hungry." He set her plate down on the table.

"Thank you," she replied as she turned back to look out the window.

He left the room silently and went back to the kitchen and began eating alone. After he was halfway done Hermione came into the kitchen with her plate. She sat down at the table to eat with him. He waited for her to begin conversation.

"I know this might be odd to ask, but do we live in the shrieking shack?"

He smiled at her. "We do." He said as he took another bite.

"What on earth?" she questioned, further mystified. "I do love this place though. I supposed that's why we ended up here?"

"It is, this house was my wedding gift to you," he replied.

She pushed up her plate and started crying at the table.

"Hermione!" He was by her side in an instant. "What's wrong?"

"…I don't…" she said in between sobs. "I feel like I don't know anything."

He tried to reassure her that the effects could be temporary while not being reassured himself. Like earlier, she asked for a hug that turned into a long hold. His presence was slowing turning into the only thing that gave her comfort. That night he insisted that Hermione take the bed and he slept out on the couch.

In the morning he woke up, but he knew she was going to be sleeping until noon. When she woke up, he made her breakfast. As they sat down to eat, he felt he needed to be honest with her.

Draco thought about how last night had gone and started to feel guilty, he wanted her close, but maybe it was better for her if he put space between them. "I think it would be best if we packed a bag and you stayed at your parent's house, without me."

"You don't want me here?" She asked, her tone depressed. Yesterday he said he would come with her, and now he had changed his mind. Maybe she was a bigger challenge than he bargained for, she reasoned. "I'm sure I've caused you stress, seeing me like this. You probably need your space."

"I'm not saying this for my sake, I just wonder if being around me is going to hold you back. Being around me is just making you feel guilty for what you can't remember, and I don't want to put that kind of pressure on you."

"If you want me to go, I will."

He had to decide if he was being selfish by keeping her close. He didn't answer at all but just gazed at her. Didn't she understand that he only wanted what was best for her? He wasn't asking her to leave…

She took his silence for confirmation that he wanted her to leave. She stood up and her chest was heaving as she tried not to cry. She walked out of the room and he stayed, still staring at her empty spot at the table. She left the house and as she did, Draco cried while he punched the table, wondering if his wife had just walked out of his life.

Hermione had gone outside and their property was attached to Hogwarts grounds, so she was not able to apparate. She tried several times, but it just didn't work. She felt stupider walking back into the house to ask Draco how to leave properly, but as it was her house too, she felt it was better to get it out of the way. She walked back in and to find him distraught and crying. He seemed worse off with his issues than she was with hers at the moment.

"Draco?" she said softly, sad to see him in so much pain after all he had done for her. She used his name out of her shock more than anything else.

He hadn't heard her come back in over the thoughts in his head. He wiped his eyes and stood up quickly. "I'm sorry you had to see that," he said as he kept his back turned from her.

She walked up hesitantly, and put her hand on his shoulder. He took a deep breath and slowly turned around to face her, his eyes still red. She moved her hand and laid it on his face. She knew he had become a different person than who she remembered. She didn't know why, but seeing him broken really hurt her heart. She was glad she hadn't left, if she wouldn't have come back in she wouldn't have known he was struggling. Maybe he truly didn't want her to leave afterall? She felt bad for almost abandoning him in his hour of need. Maybe she was being selfish not realizing how much she meant to him. "I don't want to go." She said with sad eyes.

He reached out to hug her and pulled her closer to himself, and they both cried as they held one another.

"I don't want to go anywhere without you," she whispered.

"I don't want you to go." He whispered back as he gripped her tightly. He rubbed the side of his face against hers and took solace in the fact that his wife hadn't changed, even if she couldn't remember their life together.

A few hours later they were sitting on the couch together reading when Hermione got a reply from Harry. He stated that Ginny and him were concerned about her letter and were coming by later that hour. They didn't ask permission but flatly told her they were coming. "That's a little peculiar," she said to Draco as she handed him the letter.

"I'm glad they're coming, I think it will be good to have others to talk to that you trust." Draco returned.

Hermione nodded her head, agreeing.

When Harry and Ginny showed up, Draco and Hermione heard a pop and then a knock at the door. Hermione made a mental note to ask Harry how he had apparated because it didn't work when she tried earlier. She didn't want Draco to know she really had tried to leave earlier and detract from the happiness he had at her staying.

Draco welcomed them inside and then went to go get some tea for everyone. It was also good to give Hermione her time to talk to her friends without him there.

Harry and Ginny both gave her a hug and she held back tears after Ginny hugged her.

"Hermione, tell me about these memory problems," Ginny began as she grabbed Hermione's hand and pulled her to sit down on the couch and took a seat next to her.

"All I know is I was doing some magic to…for some reason," she couldn't quite remember why, her and Draco hadn't gotten into that part yet. "And anyways, I can't remember my relationship with Draco. I didn't believe him that we weren't enemies, that we've gotten married," she looked at the ring on her finger, "but I've seen the pictures." She started crying again, "oh, I'm also a terrible mother because I didn't remember I have a child!" she broke down.

Draco had come into the room with the tea at that last part and heard what Hermione had said. He put the tray down and then stood in front of Hermione. "No one who's seen you with our son could call you a terrible mother. Ever."

She wiped her tears on her arms and looked up at him. "But that's how I feel."

"So you can't remember anything about being together?" Harry questioned.

"All I remember is the first day teaching school with him, when we were enemies still." She replied.

"Draco, maybe you could walk me through the spells she was doing?" Harry asked.

"Sure, I can take you to what she wrote out, just through here." Draco pointed to another room.

Harry stood up and walked out with him to go check it out.

"I'm so sorry Hermione," Ginny said as she took in the sight of one of her best friends.

"I'm just so shocked, and it's strange to know he's seen me naked, we've made a child together…" She was still reasoning out the pieces for herself.

"How has it been between the both of you? Are you getting along?" Ginny asked, not knowing what to expect.

Hermione blushed. "I thought I would hate him, but I don't. He's very sweet, I actually like him, a lot, I think."

"Whoa Hermione, he's got you to fall back in love with him?!" Ginny laughed.

"No, I didn't say that," Hermione scoffed at Ginny, but she had a feeling Ginny might be right. "He's such a sensitive and kind person. If you only saw what I did, then you'd understand." Hermione continued.

"I have seen what you see, and I like Draco too. I haven't always, but he's so different." Ginny mentioned. "And he makes you happy, so that's what I care about."

"He does make me happy," she repeated, blushing again.

"What?" Ginny pressed, playfully in a way that told her friend she wanted details.

"He's really attractive, he took off his shirt and I was lost for words. He's gorgeous, and we kind of kissed." Hermione laughed as Ginny did too.

The guys were standing on the other side of the wall, Harry had brought the spell with him towards the room and stopped just before entering to finish reading the spell before he spoke to Hermione. Both he and Draco overheard Hermione's confession about the effect Draco's body had on her.

Harry looked over at Draco uncomfortably before heading into the room.

Draco was glad to see Hermione laughing and enjoying Ginny's company.

Harry, on the other hand, had an angry expression on his face. "Tell me you did not do this spell!" he raised his voice as he handed a paper over to her.

She read through and was amazed at the complexity. She had hand written notes on the spell and knew it was hers and no one else's writing. There were components of dark magic to the spell that were troubling. "What was this spell for, Draco?" she questioned.

"You were trying to remove my dark mark." He replied.

Harry and Ginny knew that she had become obsessed with removing it ever since it began to bother him once they were married.

"You used dark magic to do this?" Harry asked.

"I don't know, I don't remember. I guess so?" She was still reading through the spell when he asked her.

"Then you knew there would be serious consequences Hermione, why would you do this?" He was beside himself at the harm she had caused.

She took a deep breath as she laid the spell down. "I guess I felt it would be worth the risk," she said as she looked over at Draco and then averted her eyes. With the way he loved her, she doubted there was much, if not anything, that she wouldn't do for him.

"Do you still feel that way?" Harry pressed, wondering if she would try the spell again. She didn't sound like she had any regrets.

She shrugged, "Honestly, yes, I do."

Harry couldn't believe his ears, Ginny smiled, and Draco clutched the chair he was sitting in. It was as close to 'I love you' as he was going to get for a while. Harry turned to Draco.

"And you, you let her do this." Accusation was thick on his voice.

"She had set her mind to it, there was little I could do." He tried to explain.

"You could have said no. You don't always have to give in to her Malfoy." Harry was upset at Draco and felt that this showed he wasn't looking out for Hermione's safety properly. He looked back at Hermione, "I can't believe this Hermione."

Draco stepped closer to Harry. "Potter, don't be so hard on her. I tried to hide my pain from her, but she always knew. If you saw Ginny struggling that way, I'm sure you would stop at nothing to stop her from hurting. Hermione was only doing the same." He tried to defend his wife.

"You were hurting?" Hermione asked in a sad voice.

Draco nodded to answer her question and looked back at Harry.

"Should she even stay here if she doesn't remember you? Is this uncomfortable for you Hermione?" Harry asked.

"No, I'm alright," she said. "I want to stay with Draco," she followed up quickly.

Harry was a little taken aback. "Okay, if that's what your comfortable doing…"

"What could be more comfortable than staying in my own home with my husband, Harry?" She was starting to get irritated with him and he realized that his irritation at her wasn't helpful.

Ginny broke into the conversation to help them both out. "Harry, Hermione and I were talking and she mentioned that her and Draco are getting along," she did a fake cough, "better than ever." She gave him a knowing look, making him think they had been involved.

"Oh," he gave Hermione a skeptical look and looked over at Draco, who just returned his stare. "I didn't know."

"It's really none of your business." She said as she went and stood next to Draco.

Harry looked at Ginny and then back to Hermione and Draco. "Well, we can see that you're okay, maybe we better head back. Do you mind if we visit again in a few days?" He asked her. He didn't want to keep causing her irritation and he had clearly overstayed his welcome.

"That would be lovely," Hermione said as she gave them each a hug and they left, making a pop sound as they apparated from the back of the house.

After they were gone Hermione felt like she owed Draco an apology. "I'm sorry for his harsh comments to you, he's not usually like that." She tried to explain.

"Well, he is with me, at least when it comes to you." He said as her eyes got confused. "Don't worry Hermione, I can handle Potter." He returned.

"I forget you have a history with my friends too…" she thought about all the things going on that she just didn't know.

Draco didn't say anything.

"Thanks for letting me stay, or for not wanting me to go. The worst thing right now would be to have someone in my face, constantly concerned. I like that you're giving me time and space to process everything." She wrung her hands while she said this to him.

"Let you stay? This is your house. If I thought I made you uncomfortable for even a moment, I would go. Let me know if you need that." He added. "Are you nervous about something?" he asked, seeing she was still wringing her hands.

"Oh…well, I wondered if tomorrow you might take me to go see our son?" she asked.

"Of course, we can go to the manor tomorrow morning if you want." He returned.

"The manor…not Malfoy manor?" She asked with panic in her voice.

"Yeah, he's with my parents," Draco said as she lost her reserve.

"My child is staying in the home I was tortured in!? How could you let this happen?" She started crying again and was inconsolable. "How do I apparate out of here?" she asked as she grabbed his arm and looked at him with terrified eyes.

"Do you think I would ever hurt you?" He asked her.

"What?" she asked.

"Do you think I would ever hurt you?" He repeated.

She thought for a moment. "No, I don't, what does this have to do with our son?" Her voice was raised.

"He is the most precious person in the world to me. I love you, but…not only do I love our son, but I'm responsible for his wellbeing." He felt a little uncomfortable comparing his love for them, but it was true. "There are no two people, other than us, that he is safer with," his tone was strong, unbending.

Hermione struggled with her emotions and realized she had been clutching Draco's arm. She slowly let go as she continued to look him in the eyes, wondering if she should trust his judgement. The day had been overwhelming enough, there was a lot she tried to come to terms with and she had already extended a lot of trust. She thought him asking her to trust leaving her son with two death eaters was too much.

He could read the look on her face and knew she wasn't okay with the idea. "Please, just trust me, first thing tomorrow we'll go, I promise."

Hermione held her stomach and ran her fingers through her hair.

Draco stepped closer to her. "I'm sorry about the spell. I'm beginning to think Potter was right and we never should have done it. I wish this never would have happened to you." He said as an angry look spread across his features.

She put her hand on his, almost instinctively, she wasn't sure why she did it. "The fact that I did it shows me how much I value you. With what I've learned about you, I doubt you went along willingly."

"Not at first, no, but I should have held out. This is all my fault." His eyes were filling with tears and he averted his eyes from her as he dropped her hand.

She stepped closer in front of him and put her hands on his shoulders. "This is not your fault," she said softly. "Do you hear me Draco?" She asked as he lightly placed his hands above her hips to brace himself.

She leaned forward and locked her fingers behind his neck, pushing her body against his and pulling him down to kiss her. When their lips met she kissed him passionately and he returned her soft kisses.

After several minutes they broke apart, and Hermione wanted more of him. She began kissing him again.

"Maybe we should slow down," Draco suggested.

"I don't want to," she said with a longing in her eyes. Being with him like this felt so natural. She reached her hands out to feel his chest and he stopped holding back. He grabbed his wife and held her while kissing her, when he stopped momentarily, it was only to take off his shirt.

She pushed him down onto the couch so that he was on top of her, and they kept going further as they enjoyed one another's bodies.


	62. Chapter 62

Ch. 62

Hermione woke up on the couch with Draco. She was snuggling next to him while the sun hit them through the window. As she started to move, she realized that both of them were only covered with a thin sheet they shared. She slowly lifted the sheet up to make sure her assumption was correct, and she was right, both her and Draco were still nude. She quickly put the sheet down and wasn't sure how she was going to move forward from here.

Last night, as she learned the curves on his body and tried to commit them to memory, he made it obvious that he already knew hers quite well. He knew exactly what to do to please her and she never remembered feeling so good. She looked back at him, lost in the thought of their activities the night before and how he seemed to know exactly what to do. She snuggled back up against his chest.

He started to stir and stretch as he wrapped his arms around her. He smiled at her as he looked her in the eyes and noticed she was smiling back. He began to lower his head and plant tiny kisses on her neck and shoulders, and then he stopped. "You're so beautiful Hermione," he whispered in her ear.

She caught herself smiling wider and feeling happy being there with him. She realized her place was by his side, they were made for one another. She laid her head back on his chest and closed her eyes while she spoke, but she needed to let him know something. "After getting to know you, I really like you Draco."

He placed his fingers under her chin and lifted softly so she would look him in the eyes. "Last night you sort of gave me that impression." He said as he smiled and raised his eyebrows at her.

Her cheeks turned pink. "Who would have put the two of us together?" She said while laughing lightly.

"Only us," he said as he sat up. He knew today was the day to go get their son and he was so excited, he was also very nervous to see how Hermione would react at going back to the manor.

"Can you pass me that?" She pointed to a sweater that was on the floor, she didn't want to walk around in the nude.

He laughed, it was cute that she was trying to be modest when he had seen everything. Once she was dressed she brought up the topic of their son to him.

"Are we going today?" She asked.

"Just after breakfast. Do you think you'll be able to handle yourself at the manor? With my parents?"

"No, do you expect me to?" She didn't remember all the time she had spent with them and the relationship she had built.

He sighed. "I don't know what I expect. I don't want you hexing or threatening anyone, maybe that can be a start…" He offered as they walked to the kitchen to eat.

"How do we normally get along?" She asked.

"You get along with them uncommonly well for coming from such a different background." He started, "But you seem to get along best with my father, having conversations for hours at a time." He replied.

"I find that so hard to believe. Lucious Malfoy and I enjoy one another's company?" She tried not to crack up laughing.

"Yeah, I would say that's accurate," he said to answer her sarcasm.

She sat down at the table while Draco set some things out for them to eat. She didn't talk much through breakfast, and couldn't eat much either as her nerves were taking over. She just waited for Draco to finish.

He wasn't very hungry either and kept picturing how badly the scene at the manor was likely to go down. He didn't want Hermione to take off in a rage with their son and risk his well-being.

"Ready?" he asked when he noticed she was starting off, both of them had been.

She stood up and followed him out to the back yard.

"Now, I didn't mention it before, but there is no way to apparate from most parts of the mansion because of it's connection to Hogwarts grounds. But, if you come to the back yard, there is a small space that will allow it. It's not well known, only us and our closest friends know." He explained.

She nodded her head in understanding as he held out his hand. She looked at it for a second before grabbing it. After she did, they were apparated to the gardens of Malfoy manor. He looked over at Hermione and noticed she had gone very rigid and appeared to be gritting her teeth.

"Just follow me," he said as he opened the door and walked in.

Her chest was heaving as she stepped over the threshold. She could hear a baby crying and someone trying to sooth it. As her and Draco walked further in she saw Lucious holding her son, gently patting him on the back while he cried. Hermione's eyes narrowed and she grabbed her wand. Draco noticed and made eye contact with her and shook his head no. She stared back at him for several moments before she let go of her wand.

"Draco, Hermione, you're back!" Narcissa came up to the both of them. "You guys had me so worried the other day, but it looks like you're feeling better?" She said to Hermione as she put her hand on her arm. Hermione avoided eye contact and resisted the urge to jump back at her touch, she did flinch, but Narcissa hadn't noticed.

Lucious stood up with the baby and came over to them. "I know, you miss mommy and daddy, there there," he said as he patted the baby and got ready to hand the baby over to Hermione. Her eyes were wide as she took in the sight of him holding her child. Draco reached out before she did and took their son.

"Come to daddy, Scorpious," he consoled his son as he held him against his chest. It felt good to hold him again. As the baby stopped crying, Hermione moved her eyes from Lucious to watch Draco with their son. She could see that he adored their baby. She saw Scorpious's little hands reach up and grab Draco's nose, and then his eye. "Ouch," Draco said and then he kissed his baby's hand.

"How old his he," Hermione whispered while she stared at her son.

Lucious gave her a quizzical look and realized she wasn't joking. "Draco?"

In his letters he only explained that Hermione was having some temporary side effects but that she was okay, he didn't fill them in on the whole situation.

Narcissa looked between them all and knew there was plenty more going on than what met the eye. "Let's all sit down, we don't have to stand in the hallway."

Draco looked at Hermione with uncertainty and noticed she wasn't taking her eyes off of their son. As they sat down on the couch he lifted Scorpious up. "Would you like to hold him?" he asked.

"I'm not sure, he's so tiny, I don't want to hurt him," she said as a few tears fell from her eyes.

"You won't," he reassured as he passed their son over to her. She cradled their little son while he relaxed peacefully in her arms. She just watched him and forgot about everyone else in the room.

"We loved getting to spend some quality time with him, didn't we Lucious," his wife asked as she took in the sight of her daughter in law holding their grandson.

Lucious was also watching Hermione, but was worried. "You seem very different Hermione, are you okay?" The tension in the room seemed to break.

Hermione looked up at him with hateful eyes. "No, I'm not okay," she growled.

Both his parents were taken aback by her reply. "What's wrong with you?" Lucious asked.

Draco interjected "One of the side effects was that she lost her memories. She remembers riding on the train together her first year teaching at Hogwarts, but nothing past that."

Lucious shot out of his chair in concern and walked closer to her, Hermione grabbed her wand again and pulled it out. This is exactly what Draco had been afraid of. "Stay back," she warned.

Draco's eyes got wider, he knew this had been a lot to process for her. "Just give her some space, she'll come around, she just needs time."

Lucious backed up to his seat, still staring at Hermione and she lowered her wand. Her chest was heaving again. It was obvious to Lucious that Hermione had been scared of him. He hadn't seen her look at him that way for a while and wasn't used to that look on her face.

"Thank you for watching him," Draco said to his parents. Hermione felt like she should thank them too, but she didn't want to look up from her son.

"Lucious," Narcissa said kindly, "Why don't we give them some time alone with him?"

Lucious looked back at his wife. "No, I want to make sure she's stable, for Scorpious's sake."

Hermione sensed a protective factor in Lucious that reminded her of his son. "You sound like Draco. That's why you waited so long to let me see him, right?" She asked Draco.

A guilty look settled on Draco's face, "yes," he admitted.

"I'm not angry with you." She said, and she wasn't. She was glad that her son's safety was a top priority.

"This whole thing must be very confusing for you…" Lucious asked her.

She nodded her head but didn't offer anything further.

"The first night you stayed here you had trouble being in this room. Is it hard for you right now?" He asked.

Hermione made eye contact but forgot to add the hateful look she had given him before. This room did bother her, but he should know that. "Are you using legitemancy to read my mind?" She wasn't sure if he was invading her thoughts.

He shook his head no.

"I remember what happened here, when you supported Voldemort," she said as everyone else in the room did a sharp inhale. They didn't dare speak his name.

"You've always been very brave," Lucious returned. "It was brave of you to come back here." He reassured.

Hermione looked skeptically at Draco. First he was so different, now his father was reassuring her. "This is beyond strange," she said as she looked back at her baby. "The baby is really enough for me to take in at the moment."

The baby started to stir and started crying again. Hermione picked him up and held him closer.

Narcissa piped in, "he likes to be rocked slowly," she said.

Hermione let another tear fall. She was supposed to be a mother but didn't even know what her baby liked or how to comfort him. She slowly started rocking and he quieted down again. Draco put his arm around his wife and kissed her head. She leaned down to kiss their baby and light temporarily radiated from them for a few seconds and was gone.

"What was that?" Lucious asked as he looked over at his wife. She looked back and forth between her son and her husband, not sure what to think.

"Scorpious," Hermione cried as she burst into tears. "I'm here honey," she said as he held him closer and kissed his cheeks. She suddenly remembered everything that had been missing about her son, her life with Draco, her relationship with her in-laws, getting married, it came flooding back.

"Are you alright," Draco's voice was concerned as he placed his hand on her back.

She cried harder and wrapped her other arm around Draco while still holding Scorpious. "I can remember us, and him," she said as she wiped her tears off her face. "You made me fall in love with you all over again, I'm so sorry Draco," she wept uncontrollably.

Draco was ecstatic that she remembered and just held her tightly, crying as well. He couldn't tell which tears were hers and which were his. "I love you," he said through breaths.

"I love you too," she said as she sunk her head down into his chest while she wept.

Lucious and Narcissa both just watched them at first with amazement, but felt awkward after a while.

Draco began to calm down and needed to tell her something. He pulled her up from his chest and looked her in the eyes. "The mark is gone, the spell worked." He shared as she gave him a light smile. "But I agree with Potter that I let you have your way when it isn't in your best interest. This almost lead to our son losing his mother, Hermione, and me almost losing the love of my life. I won't do that again," he said severely.

She looked down at her son, who was so precious to her and looked so much like Draco already. She couldn't imagine her life without him, or without her husband. She nodded her head at Draco through her tears and he hugged her again tightly.

Narcissa approached quietly and put her hand on Hermione's back to console her and Hermione did let go of Draco and handed him the baby to hug Narcissa. "I am so sorry!" she said between tears to her mother in law. "And to you also Lucious," she tried to wipe her tears but they just kept coming.

Lucious was still sitting in his chair, and unlike his wife, he had no urge whatsoever to get closer. He could appreciate the change from where he sat as far as he was concerned. He cared for Hermione, but her show of emotions always made him feel uncomfortable. "It's quite alright," he reassured.

Draco went closer to his father and handed Scorpious to him. He could tell his father had wanted to hold his son ever since they sat down in the room together.

"Ah, there he is, come to grandpa," he said as he held out his arms.

Hermione broke away from Narcissa and everyone turned to watch Lucious, the once faithful death eater, be at the mercy of his two-month-old grandson.

The end


End file.
